Cessna 150G N3815J

Summary

On 6 May 2006 at about 21:00 local time, a Cessna 150G registered N3815J was involved in an accident near Coleman, Texas, 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

6 May 2006 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Coleman, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Coleman Municipal Airport (COM)

Coordinates

31.8411, -99.4036

Aircraft

Cessna 150G

Registration

N3815J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Coleman → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW06CA119

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to refuel the airplane, which resulted in fuel exhaustion. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain available for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The 2,800-hour private pilot of the single-engine airplane experienced a partial loss of engine power on takeoff. A witness, who is also an airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanic with inspection authorization (IA), stated that he heard the engine sputtering until the airplane was approximately 250 feet above the ground (AGL); then the engine stopped running. The A&P added that the pilot almost completed a 180-degree turn in an attempt to return to the airport; however, the airplane impacted the ground about 60 feet short of the airport. The A&P moved the airplane into a hangar, and reported to the FAA that the engine broke away from the airframe and the left wing was partially separated from the fuselage. The A&P also reported to the FAA that the fuel in the left fuel tank measured 0.75 of an inch, and the fuel in the right tank measured 0.25 of an inch. On the pilot's most recent FAA medical certificate dated April 11, 1989, the pilot reported his total flight time as 2,800 hours; however, he failed to complete a Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1) sent to him by the NTSB investigator-in-charge.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.