Cessna 150 N6917F

Summary

On 6 March 2019 at about 19:00 local time, a Cessna 150 registered N6917F was involved in an accident near Granite Shoals, Texas, United States. 3 people were 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

6 March 2019 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Granite Shoals, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Granite Shoals Airport (2G5)

Coordinates

30.5894, -98.3703

Aircraft

Cessna 150

Registration

N6917F

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Granite Shoals → San Marcus

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN19LA101

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's decision to takeoff with a limited amount of fuel onboard, which unported during a turn, resulting in fuel starvation and a subsequent loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he last fueled the airplane about 5 months before the accident. Before the flight, the pilot conducted a preflight inspection and sumped both wing fuel tanks. The left fuel tank had some sediment present, but as he continued sumping the fuel became clear. The fuel in the right fuel tank ran clear. After engine start, the left tank fuel gauge indicated near empty, and the right fuel tank gauge indicated about 1/4 full. Subsequently, the pilot took off for a personal cross-country flight. After starting a right turn, and about 600 ft above ground level, the engine sputtered and lost power. The pilot then attempted to turn back to the airport but realized that the airplane was too low, so he executed a forced landing to a field with small trees, during which the left wing struck a tree, which resulted in substantial damage to the wing. The pilot reported that, after the accident, he found more sediment in the left tank. He stated that he believed that the low fuel state and the sediment in the left tank may have starved the engine of fuel during the turn and that having more fuel onboard would have “probably been helpful.” However, it is more likely that, due to the low fuel state, when the pilot conducted the right turn, the fuel became unported, resulting in the loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.