# NTSB LAX98LA016: Cessna 150, N71VL, Temple Bar, AZ, October 13, 1997 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: October 13, 1997, 08:55 local (15:55 UTC) - Place: Temple Bar, AZ - Coordinates: 36.020637, -114.290756 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.0206&lon=-114.2908&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report September 4, 1998 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 29980 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX98LA016 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/29980/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98LA016 ## Probable cause the pilot's improper planning/decision, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and loss of engine power. A factor relating to the accident was: the terrain condition (ditch) in the emergency landing area. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, maneuvering - low altitude flight/maneuver - initiated, pilot in command - planning/decision - improper, pilot in command (cause) - fluid,fuel - exhaustion (cause) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, emergency landing - terrain condition - ditch (contributing factor) ## Analysis The pilot departed for a flight after adding approximately 8 gallons of automotive fuel to the aircraft. He said he performed a 'stick test,' and each tank showed approximately 10 gallons of fuel. The pilot stated that while maneuvering, approximately 800 feet above the terrain, the engine suddenly quit, when he banked into a left turn. He said the engine sputtered during the descent, but power was not restored. Also, he told investigator's that the engine acted like it was out of fuel. During a postaccident investigation, only 3 gallons of fuel was found in the fuel system. Additionally, the mixture control was found to have been pulled out about 1 inch from the panel, and the spark plugs were found to have burned very lean. The Cessna Owner's Manual stated there was 1.75 gallons of unusable fuel in each standard tank. ## Factual narrative On October 13, 1997, at 0855 hours mountain standard time, a Cessna 150, N71VL, collided with a dirt berm during a forced landing following a engine failure about 30 nautical miles north of Temple Bar, Arizona. The aircraft sustained substantial damage. The commercial pilot and his passenger were not injured. The aircraft was being operated as a personal flight under 14 CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. The flight originated in St. George, Utah, at 0655. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site. The pilot estimated that they were approximately 800 feet above ground level when the engine suddenly quit. He said that they were "fairly low level in order to spot game," and had started a turn to the left when the engine quit. The pilot said that the engine started "sputtering" for a second or two during the descent and then quit. He told investigators that "it acted like it was out of gas." The Mojave County Sheriff's office examined the airplane after the accident at the request of the Safety Board. The examination revealed that there was zero fuel in the left tank and approximately 1 1/2 inches of fuel in the right tank. The Sheriff's office reported that the aircraft came to rest in an nose-down attitude in a left bank approximately 20 to 25 degrees. The aircraft was recovered and examined at the direction of the Safety Board. The inspector that examined the aircraft noted that the top spark plugs burned very lean and that the mixture control was found approximately 1 inch pulled out from the panel. The fuel gascolator bowl was dry with very little residue at the bottom of the bowl. The inspector also noted that during the aircraft recovery proceeding, a total of 3 gallons of fuel was drained from the fuel system at the accident site as routine procedure before transporting the wreckage to a secure location. The pilot reported that he performed a preflight on the aircraft the morning of the accident and noted that it needed fuel. He stated that he was unable to obtain any aviation fuel, and that the owner of the airplane had told him he could put automotive fuel in the airplane. He said he proceeded to put "approximately 8 gallons in the airplane." The pilot said he performed a "stick test" of the airplane and determined that "one side showed 10 gallons and the other just over 10.5 gallons of useable fuel." According to the Cessna factory representative who was consulted on the circumstances surrounding this accident, the 3 gallons of fuel that was drained out of the fuel tanks represents fuel that is under the useable level. According to the Cessna 150 Owner's Manual, with the fuel quantity indicators reading empty there is 1.75 gallons unusable in each standard tank. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N71VL](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N71VL-2015-05-19), registration cancelled 2015-05-19, S/N 15072266, built 1970 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 150 - Registry model: [Cessna 150L](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-150l) (registry code 2071826) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental 0-200 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-200-series) (registry code 17020, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 15072266 - Airframe hours: 5420 - Engines: Continental O-200 100 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Blair C. Peterson - Registered owner: J. V. Leonis - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, April 12, 1997, 250 hours before - Departed: SGU, ST GEORGE, UT ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 25; commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 1,500 total, 200 in this make and model, 1,200 as pilot in command, 110 in the last 90 days, 45 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 90° at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 61 °F, dew point 25 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: SGU, 32 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19971013047689A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19971013047689A), Oct 13, 1997: Cessna 150L, St.George, UT, Substantial damage. (-16) On Monday oct. 13th 1997, pilot blair peterson stated that he took off in N71VL a CE-150 with 1 passenger to check out some hunting areas in st. george… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.