Cessna 150L N18503

Summary

On 12 September 1997 at about 02:20 local time, a Cessna 150L registered N18503 was involved in an accident near Hilo, Hawaii, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 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

12 September 1997 at 02:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Hilo, Hawaii, United States

Nearest airport

Hilo (ITO)

Coordinates

19.6896, -155.0803

Aircraft

Cessna 150L

Registration

N18503

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Honolulu → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX97LA322

1 person was seriously injured.

failure of the pilot to verify the quantity of fuel before departure, and to monitor fuel consumption during the flight, which led to fuel exhaustion, loss of engine power, and a forced landing. Tall grass in the emergency landing was a related factor.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The aircraft lost power while on approach approximately 9 miles south of the airport. Subsequently, it nosed over during a landing in tall grass. The hobbs meter showed the duration of flight to be a total of 3.1 hours. The aircraft held 26 total gallons of fuel, with 22.5 usable. The second pilot reported to the mechanic/owner that they 'were flying at about 110 MPH, they were not at altitude, and they did little leaning.' According to the Cessna Pilot Operating Handbook (POH) for the 150L, the aircraft will burn approximately 7 gallons per hour at 2,500 feet msl with full power and using 92 percent horsepower. The POH specifies the total range to be 3.2 hours for those specific conditions. No fuel was found remaining in or around the aircraft after the accident, and the surrounding vegetation did not show signs of fuel spillage. Neither pilot reported how fuel quantity was verified or how much fuel they had on board before departure. The engine was examined by a licensed airframe and powerplant mechanic, who found no discrepancies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.