The pilot reported that, after completing the first half of a cross-country flight, he departed without checking the Cessna 150’s fuel level.
Before reaching his destination, the airplane’s engine lost power and the pilot attempted to restart the engine without success.
He executed a forced landing to an open field near Puyallup, Washington, where during the landing roll, the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted.
The vertical stabilizer was substantially damaged.
The pilot reported that he had exhausted all available fuel.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s inadequate fuel management that resulted in the loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
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This October 2022 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
On my solo cross country ( many years ago) the airplane (also a Cessna 150) was scheduled for a major overhaul. We agreed I would fly the airplane to the shop for the major and a week later fly the other two legs of the triangle. About ten minutes from my hone field I ran out of fuel. My instructors had prepared me for engine failure so I made an approach to an oat field. On final I saw the gully across the field but I had always been told to fly an approach on a forced landing hot (ie fast) and high. I picked the plane up over the gully and did a serious slip and landed. In the oats the plane only rolled 150 feet. The farmer thought it was interesting enough he didn’t charge us for the damaged oats and the next day combined a strip. The plane’s owner put fuel in and flew the plane out. All in all no damage, no injuries! To date (2500 hours total time) that’s my only engine failure.
I lost three friends 30 years ago for the same reason. Pilot was inexperienced and generally sloppy in his approach to life. Took off at midnight heading to North Florida from Missouri. Probably didn’t consider headwinds or total load, and stuck it in the ground somewhere in Georgia. So I went to three separate wakes.
Pilot error is the primary cause for small aircraft crashes. About 75%.
I believe it closer to 95%
Human, this is how I would relate any forced off field without external forces or internal failure of the airplane. Preliminary .. and I see a lot of assumptions here in the comment section. Indeed some footwork combined with possibly lack of instruction reinforced with lists beyond checklists if required for the individual involved. I’ve bumped into more than one rather self-assured quite full of himself Alpha type dreaming of ATP that would ignore even the simplest PreFlight checklist Sensibility. Far too frequently even these experienced Pilots disregard procedure from the get-go placing them their craft and others and individuals In Harm’s Way. My mailbox stands a top a variable pitch Hartzel that is Testament to bragging drunkenness lack of maturity lack of hours that totaled both airframe and engine. I kept it as a reminder of a commercial ATP wannabe at the flight school that simply did not have it in him. I pray he didn’t walk away and discover another school that would overlook his grave errors. I hope that we can remind ourselves that these preliminary reports are provided us without comprehensive explanation of the event possibly purposefully to keep us thinking about procedures and protocol. Long after we have successfully grown through initial training certification possibly advancement if eager to commercial or ATP even I a lowly single engine nothingness with no hours to back up argument that recognizes far too many deficiencies Within Me to continue a current status would say let’s just glean the obvious errors and move ahead. I have personally witnessed and narrowly been killed by aggressive overly confident retired Barnyard Cowboys that would tell me not to get my panties twisted while they pulled their stupid moves. We’re all human. Stick with the checklist. Do the planning stay current with as much time as possible regularly. And as I said even with regularity and with habitual nature still back it with a checklist for the type flown. My recommendation is if it doesn’t have a checklist, or you have misplaced or forgotten it, best not fly. Most definitely keep your head on a swivel. Lastly I would say as an electric car motorcycle and during my work day stand up scooter with work trailer owner. There are many Electric take off and assist motor gliders for sale right now. With thousands if not tens of thousands of hours. Also a multitude of type approved aircraft as well as several quality crafted home built Electrics I have examined that outperform a chestnut or a typical helicopter any day. At some point these aircraft will become obsolete. And they will be replaced with better more powerful less complicated lighter and more reliable craft. Whether they be powered electric, or some other yet unknown mystery force such as unobtainium. Lastly a joke expounding on one commenters statement. After relocating my electric car cross country to Florida more than one person asked if I drove it. I always answer yes with a very long extension cord. No I shipped it. Who in their right mind would want to be lost in the middle of the country looking for a charging station?
When a pilot has only 22 hrs it seems to me that the CFI probably should have been a part of his planning. I think we all remember our first cross country flights and I was nervous and overloaded with info and my CFI was very much part of my planning . At 22 hours you probably only have 10-12 hours since your solo.
At least he walked away!
When I did both my cross countries my CFI told me how to far to fly, where to refuel, and insisted I leave with full tanks. No matter how new you are, fuel is part of the preflight checklist every flight. IMO this was a lack of good instructions in combination with a bad student.
Fuel “exhaustion”? Do you mean the gasoline just ran out of energy as in, “I’m spent, I can’t make it even another mile,” or “the plane ran out of gasoline.” Why is there this need today to s-t-r-e-t-c-h a simple statement into grand prose?
Here we go again, another stupid not dumb pilot that should have stayed on the ground and fly his “Xbox” instead of trying to fly a real plane. Another lesson learned the “very hard way” at least he walked away this time! What about next time?
How many times must we read about pilot making stupid mistakes, before people learn “flying is a serious business” and mistakes made are very costly to planes and anyone who flies in one?
This low time pilot only had 22 hr in this C150. I suspect, he got little or no instruction on refueling or fuel planning for an x/c flight.
Hopefully, this pilot will do more conservative fuel planning, once his aircraft is flying again.
I love all these arm chair quarterbacks stating this person is stupid or an idiot.
I’m just glad there is no fatalities.
Just wait til something happens to them.
I guess they are all professionals.
Give this guy a break, he has to live with his mistake.
Sounds like poor planning all around. Didn’t check winds aloft, apparently not aware of clouds. If he was truly going to “tanker” fuel, he would have had more fuel at takeoff, not less. Who takes off on a cross country with less than full fuel?
Sorry, I misspoke; this was not poor planning, it was stupidity: Barely an hour of fuel burn per wing on a cross country. He also landed in the wrong direction relative to the field, but I guess he had no more “luck” left.
Battery operated planes! – look how long the extension cords will be for those chargers!
Imagine the number of these brainless stories we’ll read once battery-operated airplanes come into play (hopefully never) and pilots scan the ground below them for an airplane charging station. Just sayin’…
Regards/J
They can use their portable battery charger. Of course it will have to be a bit bigger than the pocket model for recharging smart phones.
For the lack of a few gallons of fuel, he severely damages his aircraft.
Why not fill the tanks…23 gallons vs ‘a bit less than 14 gallons’.
So, not adding $50 in fuel he is now looking at $ thousands in repairs , plus recovery.!
More stupid pilot tricks.
BTW, the O-200 will burn about 6 gph at max rpm, but only if leaned properly. Otherwise, it can use over 7 gph full rich. [ ask me how I know ?]