- Date
- June 7, 2023, 14:45 local (21:45 UTC)
- Place
- Wishram, WA · rolling hill field
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7155FCessna 150F
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- GEG FSDO
- FAA report
- 20230607011089A
- Case key
- 192345
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 fuel exhaustion and a total loss of engine power.
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
According to the pilot, the intent for the flight was to conduct several aerial surveys of large fields. The flight departed with 37 gallons of fuel onboard intended for the 4-hour flight. A diversion was made due to scattered rain showers to wait for weather conditions to improve to the requirements for aerial photography. The engine lost total power about 9 miles from the intended destination. He realized he would be unable to land at his intended destination due to the airplane’s altitude and distance from it, so he performed an off airport forced landing in a field. The airplane touched down and rolled over inverted in a ravine sustaining substantial damage to the fuselage, vertical stabilizer, left wing and right aileron. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7155F
- Reported as
- Cessna 150F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15063755
- Built
- 1966
- Airframe hours
- 4,935
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Operator
- JR Imaging Logistics Inc.
- Registered owner
- JR Imaging Logistics Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- None
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 18, 2023
- Departed
- RLD · Richland, WA
- Destination
- DLS · Dalles, OR
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Onboard weather, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 25, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 987 total · 339 in this make and model · 906 as pilot in command · 153 in the last 90 days · 101 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.77 inHg
- Turbulence
- Light
- Observed at
- KDLS, 7 nm away
- METAR
- KDLS 072153Z AUTO 32007KT 10SM FEW050 FEW090 SCT110 28/09 A2977 RMK AO2 SLP079 T02780089
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 20, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.9 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.