Cessna 150G N3995J

Summary

On 1 February 2010 at about 18:31 local time, a Cessna 150G registered N3995J was involved in an accident near St. Augustine, Florida, 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

1 February 2010 at 18:31

Classification

Accident

Location

St. Augustine, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

St. Augustine (SGJ)

Coordinates

29.9556, -81.3372

Aircraft

Cessna 150G

Registration

N3995J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Georgetown → St. Augustine

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA10LA127

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion caused by the failure of the right wing fuel tank sending unit gasket, which resulted in a forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot refueled the airplane and departed. While cruising at altitudes varying between 6,500 feet and 2,500 feet above ground level, he noticed that the right fuel gauge was fluctuating around the empty indication and the left fuel gauge was giving intermittent indications. The pilot elected to land at an airport that was en route to his destination. As the airplane approached the airport, the engine experienced a total loss of power due to fuel exhaustion. The pilot made a forced landing to a highway about 600 yards short of the airport and, after maneuvering to avoid traffic, the airplane struck road signs and came to rest in a ditch. The pilot stated that he always based fuel consumption on time, altitude and temperature, and monitored it with a stopwatch. Subsequent fuel consumption calculations indicated that at the rpm setting provided by the pilot, the airplane should have had well in excess of 30 minutes of fuel onboard when the engine ceased operating, about 2.5 hours after takeoff. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed fuel stains under the right under-wing area, flap, and fuselage. The stained was a result of fuel leakage due to a failure of the right wing fuel tank sending unit gasket.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.