- Date
- March 26, 1991, 16:53 local (Mar 27, 1991, 00:53 UTC)
- Place
- Kennewick, WA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N4065JCessna 150G
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910326007649A
- Case key
- 41308
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
Improper planning/decision by the pilot, which resulted in fuel exhaustion due to an inadequate supply of fuel, and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed, while maneuvering to make a forced landing, which resulted in a stall.
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 was making touch & go landings at the Kennewick airport. During the initial climb after takeoff, at about 150 ft AGL, the engine lost power. The pilot made a steep turn back to the runway & the aircraft stalled in the turn. The aircraft then descended nose down & impacted the ground. A post-accident exam revealed about 3.5 gal of fuel was remaining in the fuel tanks. The aircraft flight manual indicated the 26 gal fuel tanks had 3.5 gal unusable fuel.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4065J
- Reported as
- Cessna 150G
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15065365
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ronny L. Sabin
- Registered owner
- Ronny L. Sabin
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Departed
- S98 · Kennewick, WA
- Airport
- S98 · Kennewick, runway 2, 3,490 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 38
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 243 total · 37 in this make and model · 106 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PSC, 6 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.