Cessna 150 N7854E

Summary

On 29 January 2000 at about 17:25 local time, a Cessna 150 registered N7854E was involved in an accident near Wiscasset, Maine, 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

29 January 2000 at 17:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Wiscasset, Maine, United States

Nearest airport

Wiscasset Airport (IWI)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Cessna 150

Registration

N7854E

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC00LA070

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane had been exposed to 3 weeks of high winds, sleet, blowing snow and sub-zero temperatures. During the preflight inspection, the pilot found the fuel tanks were half full. The wing tank drains were 'frozen stuck,' so the pilot decided not to force them. He drained about 6 ounces of fuel from the fuel strainer, and found 'no visible contaminants.' The fuel vent next to the pitot tube 'appeared to be open.' The pilot started the airplane, taxied it to the runway, and performed an engine run-up. He then back-taxied down the runway, then took off. After takeoff, about 125 feet agl, the engine lost all power, and the pilot made a forced landing. Several hours later, the left wing drain was still frozen, but there was fuel coming out of the wing vent. The pilot thought the sun had warmed the vent, which then melted ice inside, and allowed the fuel to leak out of the tank. The following morning, the pilot drained over 10 gallons of fuel into containers 'with no hesitation or water.' The pilot then drained the carburetor float bowl of about 40 cc of fuel and 10 cc of water. Preflight inspection included: 'Check fuel tank vent opening for stoppage.'

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.