Cessna 150J N5559G

Summary

On 20 February 2004 at about 23:00 local time, a Cessna 150J registered N5559G was involved in an accident near Longview, Washington, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 February 2004 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Longview, Washington, United States

Coordinates

46.1319, -122.9883

Aircraft

Cessna 150J

Registration

N5559G

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kelso → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA04LA042

1 person was seriously injured.

Fuel exhaustion while maneuvering, as a result of the pilot's inadequate in-flight decision/planning, leading to his failure to refuel the airplane prior to running out of fuel. A ditch was a factor.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that during the pre-flight, he noted that the fuel tanks were about half full. After takeoff and making one touch-and-go landing, he then proceeded to look for a missing barge along the river. The pilot stated, "I then lost track of time and ran low on fuel which caused engine to die." The pilot made a forced landing to an open field. During the landing roll, the nose wheel sunk into a ditch and the aircraft nosed over. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the aircraft at the time. An FAA Inspector confirmed the lack of fuel in the fuel tanks.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.