LAX99LA183

The private pilot rented the airplane for a personal cross-country flight. At his first stop he did not refuel. He overflew his intended second and refueling stop by 23 miles. Subsequently, he ran out of fuel and attempted a landing on a dirt road. The airplane collided with brush and rolled inverted. The airplane had operated 4.4 hours since last refueling. The pilot had received a 1.1-hour checkout by the operator the day before the accident in the same airplane.

On May 12, 1999, about 1420 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 150M, N66487, encountered soft terrain and nosed over during a forced landing near Lucerne Valley, California, after experiencing a total loss of engine power. The aircraft, operated by Kern Charter Service of Bakersfield, California, and rented by the pilot, was substantially damaged. The private pilot, the sole occupant, received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross-country flight operating under 14 CFR Part 91 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. No flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Bakersfield, California, at 0905, made an en route stop at Ramona, California, and was on the return leg to Bakersfield when the accident occurred.

The pilot landed at Ramona, but did not refuel. He planned on refueling at Redlands, California. The accident site is located about 23 miles north, or past, Redlands, and is separated from the accident site by high mountains. According to the pilot's written statement, "the airplane ran out of gas, so I glided the plane over the desert and tried to land it on a dirt road." According to a recording hour meter in the aircraft and an aircraft checkout sheet, the aircraft had operated about 4.4 hours since last refueling. The pilot had received a 1.1-hour checkout by the operator in the same airplane the day before the accident.