- Date
- October 21, 2005, 15:40 local (19:40 UTC)
- Place
- Shelburne, VT
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1693QCessna 150L
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 28, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Portland, ME
- FAA report
- 20051021025179A
- Case key
- 62714
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 pilot's inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a total loss of engine power.
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 departed his home airport to take aerial photographs of the end of the season tree color changes. After 4.2 hours of flight time, which included an intermediate stop at another airport, the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot subsequently performed a forced landing to a field, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane. During a postaccident examination of the airplane, no preimpact fuel leaks were discovered, and no evidence of fuel spillage was identified at the scene. Approximately 2 quarts of fuel was recovered from the fuel system. There was no record of the airplane being refueled at the intermediate airport.
Factual narrative
The pilot departed his home airport to take aerial photographs of the end of the season tree color changes. After 4.2 hours of flight time, which included an intermediate stop at another airport, the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot subsequently performed a forced landing to a field, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane. During a postaccident examination of the airplane, no preimpact fuel leaks were discovered, and no evidence of fuel spillage was identified at the scene. Approximately 2 quarts of fuel was recovered from the fuel system. There was no record of the airplane being refueled at the intermediate airport.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1693Q
- Reported as
- Cessna 150L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15072993
- Airframe hours
- 4,998
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Shelburne Flying Club
- Registered owner
- Steven C. Clark
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 2005 · 82 hours before
- Departed
- MVL · Morrisville, VT
- Destination
- VT8 · Shelburne, VT
- Airport
- VT8 · Shelburne Airport, runway 1, 2,500 × 60 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
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 1, 2004
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 740 total · 465 in this make and model · 694 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- BTV, 7 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.