Cessna 150H N23474

Summary

On 25 May 2001 at about 22:20 local time, a Cessna 150H registered N23474 was involved in an accident near Mariposa, California, 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

25 May 2001 at 22:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Mariposa, California, United States

Coordinates

37.4897, -120.0008

Aircraft

Cessna 150H

Registration

N23474

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Los Angeles → Groveland

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX01LA192

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to properly refuel the aircraft which resulted in departure with an inadequate quantity of fuel onboard. A factor in the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight preparation and planning, which failed to provide an adequate fuel reserve for the flight intended.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion after 2.1 hours of flight and 16-miles before reaching the intended destination. The pilot attributed the fuel exhaustion to an interruption that occurred during his (self) fueling of the aircraft, which resulted in the fuel tanks not being totally full on takeoff. As he was filling the left wing fuel tank before takeoff, the pilot was interrupted by another pilot who asked his assistance with operation of the self-fueling equipment. He completed filling the left tank and stopped to assist the other pilot. He returned to his airplane about 10 or 15 minutes later, filled the right-wing tank, and departed. The pilot believed that, during the interruption, a portion of the fuel in the left tank flowed across the aircraft to the right tank and, after he filled the right tank, the left tank was approximately 5 gallons below capacity. He reported making the same trip regularly. Assuming a zero to 5-knot headwind, the trip routinely required 20.3 or 20.4 gallons to complete. The aircraft had been modified to install a larger engine than the original and had a 24-gallon usable fuel capacity. The pilot reported that, on past flights at the same altitude and power setting, the engine consumed 9.17 gallons per hour (2.6 hours endurance).

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.