- Date
- January 10, 2009, 16:20 local (Jan 11, 2009, 00:20 UTC)
- Place
- Pescadero, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N21999Cessna 150L
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 23, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20090110000269A
- Case key
- 73213
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 fuel planning and preparation. Contributing to the accident was the lack of a suitable area for a forced landing.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The airplane left Monterey with the left fuel tank at 5/8 full and the right fuel tank at 1/4 full. After flying 60 miles, the pilot noted that the left fuel gage read zero and the right fuel gauge read 1/8. The remaining 20 miles of the flight was to be over water and rugged coast line. Due to the airplane's low fuel state, the pilot decided to make a precautionary landing into a freshly plowed field. At the end of the landing roll the airplane nosed over.
Factual narrative
On January 10, 2009, at 1620 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 152L, N21999, executed a precautionary landing into a freshly plowed farmer's field near Pescadero, California. The private pilot rented the airplane from Sterling Flight LLC, Concord, California, and operated it under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot received minor injuries and his passenger was not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated from Monterey, California, at 1530. The pilot stated in the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report that they left Monterey with the left fuel tank at 5/8 full and the right fuel tank at 1/4 full. After flying 60 miles the pilot noted that the left fuel gage read 0 and the right fuel gage read 1/8. The remaining 20 miles of the flight was to be over water and rugged coast line. Due to the airplane's low fuel state, the pilot decided to make a precautionary landing into a freshly plowed farmer's field. At the end of the landing roll the airplane nosed over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N21999
- Reported as
- Cessna 150L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15074600
- Airframe hours
- 6,548
- Engine
- Teledyne Continental O-200A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 10, 2008 · 66 hours before
- Departed
- KMRY · Monterey, CA
- Destination
- KHAF · Half Moon Bay, CA
- Airport
- KHAF · Half Moon Bay, CA
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
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Last flight review
- February 22, 2007
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 153 total · 9 in this make and model · 89 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
- Observed at
- KHAF, 18 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 N21999 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.