Cessna 150 N8873S

Summary

On 21 April 1996 at about 23:00 local time, a Cessna 150 registered N8873S was involved in an accident near Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 April 1996 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Coordinates

40.8096, -111.9408

Aircraft

Cessna 150

Registration

N8873S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

West Jordon → Milford

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA96LA082

1 person had minor injuries.

the student pilot's inadequate preflight planning/preparation, by failuring to properly calculate the fuel consumption of the airplane, which led to fuel exhaustion and loss of power during cruise flight, due to an inadequate supply of fuel. A factor relating to the accident was: the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot performed a forced landing after a sudden loss of engine power. She attempted a forced landing in a shopping mall parking lot. However, before landing, the airplane collided with a flexible flag pole and tree, and was substantially damaged. The airplane remained suspended in the tree until rescue personnel arrived. The student pilot received minor injuries. Both fuel tanks remained uncompromised and were inspected after the accident; no evidence of fuel was found. Also, no preimpact mechanical deficiency was found. The pilot stated that she may have exhausted the airplane's fuel supply during the flight. Investigation revealed that she had utilized inaccurate information to perform fuel consumption calculations, and that she took on an inadequate amount of fuel at her last departure point. The student pilot had deviated from the flight plan that was endorsed by the flight instructor.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.