- Date
- March 12, 1990, 15:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Graham, WA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5559GCessna 150J
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900312003869A
- Case key
- 41174
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
Loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and inadequate remedial action after bouncing/ballooning during the forced landing. The pilot's inadequate preflight planning/preparation was a factor related to the accident.
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
While en route the engine lost power. The pilot attempted a restart without success. A forced landing was made on a private airstrip. The airplane touched down but then ballooned and touched down a second time on all three landing gear. The nose gear collapsed and the airplane slid to a stop. During a post-crash examination, it was found that the fuel tanks contained only unuseable fuel.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5559G
- Reported as
- Cessna 150J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15071059
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Welch, Sandra L.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- FHR · Friday Harbor, WA
- Destination
- Yelm, WA
- Airport
- 49WA · Yelm, runway 36, 1,800 × 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
- 47
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 115 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 0° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F
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 N5559G · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.