Cessna 150J N60169

Summary

On 20 July 1999 at about 02:40 local time, a Cessna 150J registered N60169 was involved in an accident near Huntington Bch, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 July 1999 at 02:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Huntington Bch, California, United States

Coordinates

33.7202, -118.0006

Aircraft

Cessna 150J

Registration

N60169

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Corona → Long Beach

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX99LA255

Nobody was injured.

Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's failure to ensure that adequate fuel was on board to complete the flight. The pilot's basic lack of knowledge of the airplane's fuel capacity was a factor.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated he used a dipstick during preflight, which was graduated in four equal increments, but not calibrated for this airplane. Based upon the mark on the dipstick, he determined the tanks were slightly over 1/3 of capacity and estimated he had 13 to 14 gallons of fuel aboard. He estimated 9 gallons would be needed for the flight. During a subsequent interview, the pilot told a FAA inspector the airplane had a 38-gallon fuel capacity. The Type Certificate Data Sheet specifies 26 gallons total fuel capacity with 22.5 gallons useable. Standard tanks were found on the airplane during postaccident inspection. After departure the pilot flew a total of 1.5 hours, completing one takeoff and landing and three practice instrument approaches. On radar vectors for the ILS final approach course at Long Beach, the engine sputtered, then quit. The pilot attempted a forced landing on a city street and collided with multiple obstacles. Recovery personnel reported draining 2 pints of fuel from the left fuel tank and no fuel from the right tank. Following recovery, the engine was started in the airframe and successfully test run.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.