- Date
- January 6, 2025, 07:58 local (15:58 UTC)
- Place
- Temple City, CA · 4900 block of Arden Drive in Temple City
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N5943TCessna 150D
- Defining event
- Initial climb: 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
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20250106005129A
- Case key
- 199516
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 flight instructor’s unfamiliarity with the fuel quantities the fuel measuring dip stick measured and inadequate preflight inspection which resulted in fuel exhaustion.
Findings · 4
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 flight instructor reported that prior to the flight, he had measured the fuel levels in each fuel tank with a dip stick, which he had thought measured useable fuel only. He noted that the airplane had a total of 7 gallons of fuel, which he estimated was adequate for about 1.5 hours of flight time. After takeoff, they briefly flew around the area before returning to the departure airport, where they performed 4 low approaches to the runway before they performed a touch and go landing on the 5th approach. During the initial climb, about 1 hour into the flight, the engine momentarily lost power about 300 ft agl. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and turned towards the airport, however, the engine lost power again and he initiated a forced landing to a road. Shortly after, the engine regained full power for several seconds, and they were able to climb to about 75 ft agl before the engine lost power again. Subsequently, the airplane struck trees and a fence before it came to rest upright, which resulted in substantial damage to the left and right wings. The flight instructor reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. He added that he misunderstood what the fuel dip stick measured, and that it measured all the fuel in the fuel tank, which included unusable fuel (1.75 gallons in each fuel tank).
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5943T
- Reported as
- Cessna 150D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15060643
- Built
- 1964
- Airframe hours
- 4,380.1
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Mission Flight Academy
- Registered owner
- Mission Flight Academy
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 1, 2024 · 19 hours before
- Departed
- EMT · El Monte, CA
- Airport
- KEMT · San Gabriel Valley Airport
- 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 18, 2024
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 6,800 total · 20 in this make and model · 4,650 as pilot in command · 63 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 32
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 14 total · 14 in this make and model · 14 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- KEMT, 1 nm away
- METAR
- KEMT 061545Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 08/01 A3010
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 22, 2025, 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.