MIA99LA209

The pilot stated he left his origination airport with a topped off left wing tank and 1/4 to 1/2 showing on the right wing tank. At about 3 miles from his destination, at about 1,500 feet agl, the engine vibrated and quit. The pilot tried to glide to an off duty runway but collided with a dirt embankment short of the runway. About 3 quarts of fuel were drained from the airplane's total fuel system, postcrash, and no evidence of any precrash fuel leakage could be found.

On August 1, 1999, about 1354 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150M, N3206V, registered to a private individual, operating as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed on approach to Donaldson Center Airport, Greenville, South Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage, the private-rated pilot was not injured, and a passenger received minor injuries. The flight originated from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, at 1116.

According to the pilot, the fuel onboard when he made his takeoff from Myrtle Beach International Airport was 16 gallons. Most of the cruise portion of the flight was flown at 8,500 feet msl, 2,550 rpm, and mixture leaned. He was in his descent at 2,600 feet msl, and about 3 miles from his landing airport when the airframe and engine began to vibrate and the engine quit. He set up a glide for the nearest possible airport landing site, a closed runway at Donaldson Center Airport, but instead, impacted an embankment short of the runway.

According to the FAA inspector, the total amount of fuel remaining in the airplane's fuel system, postcrash, was about 3 quarts. About 1 quart was spilled moving the wreckage, and another 2 quarts were removed, using a 32-ounce container. The wing tanks had not been compromised in the crash and there was no evidence of fuel leakage, precrash. The pilot had mentioned that one of his pre-purchase discrepancies was a leaking gascolator. According to the maintenance records, the fuel selector valve was replaced, and no repeat of the fuel leak was noted. The airplane had undergone an annual inspection about 63 tachometer recorded hours before the accident.

From the "Operational Data" chapter of the Cessna 150M operating handbook, the fuel consumption rate at standard atmospheric conditions, with proper leaning, for a cruise altitude of 8,500 feet at 2,550 rpm is about 4.3 gallons/hour and takeoff and climb is another 2.8 gallons. Accordingly, a 2- hour 38-minute flight would use about 14.1 gallons. The accident flight's total usable fuel load , using the pilot's figures, was about 12.5 gallons, (the Cessna 150M operating handbook states the fuel system contains unusable fuel of 3.5 gallons).