- Date
- January 18, 2013, 14:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Porterville, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N50690Cessna 150J
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20130118001799A
- Case key
- 86084
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 improper fuel management, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Findings · 2
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 pilot reported that during a 4.5-hour cross-country flight, and, after making two full stop landings without refueling, the engine lost power while he was returning to his departure airport. A forced landing was made to a service road where, during the landing roll, the left wing tip struck a wood post, which caused the airplane to rotate 90 degrees. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. A postaccident examination revealed no usable fuel in the fuel tanks. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and said it was likely that he had exhausted his fuel supply.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during a 4.5-hour cross-country flight, and after making two full stop landings without refueling, the engine lost power while he was returning to his departure airport. A forced landing was made to a service road where during the landing roll, the left wing tip struck a wood post, which caused the airplane to rotate 90 degrees. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. A postaccident examination revealed no usable fuel in the fuel tanks. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and said it was likely that he had exhausted his fuel supply.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N50690
- Reported as
- Cessna 150J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15069486
- Airframe hours
- 6,138
- Engine
- Cont Motor O-200 SERIES, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Del-Air
- Registered owner
- Dellicker Harry R Trustee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 1, 2012 · 48 hours before
- Departed
- MAE · Madera, CA
- Destination
- Porterville, 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 82 total · 47 in this make and model · 32 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.15 inHg
- Observed at
- PTV, 17 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 7, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.