- Date
- February 16, 2024, 17:28 local (Feb 17, 2024, 01:28 UTC)
- Place
- Everett, WA · forested terrain short of the runway
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3538VCessna 150M
- Defining event
- Approach: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20240216009229A
- Case key
- 193814
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 planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a total loss of engine power.
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 pilot reported the airplane contained 10 gallons of fuel before departing for a local area flight. At the conclusion of the flight, and while on final approach for the destination airport, the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power with the propeller windmilling. The pilot applied carburetor heat, and increased the mixture to full rich, but was unable to restore power, noting 2 gallons of fuel remaining which was below the amount of 2.5 gallons known to be unusable. The pilot executed a forced landing and impacted treed terrain substantially damaging the airplanes wings, fuselage and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3538V
- Reported as
- Cessna 150M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15076538
- Built
- 1975
- Airframe hours
- 4,483.2
- Engine
- Cont Motor O-200 SERIES, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Puget Sound Flyers Inc
- Registered owner
- Puget Sound Flyers Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 6, 2024 · 36 hours before
- Departed
- KCLM · Port Angeles, WA
- Destination
- KPAE · Everett, WA
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 44
- Injuries
- None
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 150 total · 41 in this make and model · 7 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
- Observed at
- KPAE, 1 nm away
- METAR
- KPAE 170053Z 16004KT 10SM CLR 09/M06 A3020 RMK AO2 SLP230 T00941061
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 10, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.3 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.