- Date
- May 7, 1989, 15:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Minneapolis, MN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6411KCessna 150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 22, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890507013999A
- Case key
- 34788
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilots failure to properly calculate fuel consumption which resulted in an inadequate fuel reserve and fuel exhaustion prior to reaching his destination. During the ensuing forced landing the pilot failed to maintain airspeed which resulted in an inadvertant stall into trees while trying to fly to the runway. Contributing to the accident was the pilots failure to perform a precautionary landing at a closer airport when he had the opportunity.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot said that during the last leg of a student, solo cross-country trip, the engine began to to mis-fire about 25 miles from his destination arpt. He applied carb heat and richened the mixture, which restored normal engine operation. About 6 miles from destination, the engine once again began missing and application of carb heat did not resolve the problem. About 3 miles from the destination arpt, the engine failed completely. An emergency ldg was attempted on the arpt, but the aircraft stalled and crashed southeast of the intended runway. The acft collided with tree tops, then struck the wet, marshy terrain and overturned. Post accident investigation revealed the engine stopped due to fuel exhaustion. The acft had been airborne for aprx 1 hour since the last takeoff point.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6411K
- Reported as
- Cessna 150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15077689
- Airframe hours
- 3,132
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Barnes, Virgil L.
- Registered owner
- Barnes, Virgil L
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 22, 1989 · 32 hours before
- Departed
- AXN · Alexandria, MN
- Destination
- ANE · Minneapolis, MN
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- ANE · Anoka Co, runway 17, 4,856 × 100 ft, grass/turf
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 49
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 50 total · 9 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MIC, 8 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.
Other investigations on N6411K · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.