Cessna 150E N3523J

Summary

On 20 April 2007 at about 22:10 local time, a Cessna 150E registered N3523J, operated by Levelland Aviation, was involved in an accident near Levelland, Texas, United States. 2 people were 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

20 April 2007 at 22:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Levelland, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Levelland Municipal Airport (LLN)

Coordinates

33.6889, -102.3831

Aircraft

Cessna 150E

Registration

N3523J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Levelland Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Vega → Levelland

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA07CA100

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate in-flight decision by failing to refuel while en route, resulting in fuel exhaustion and the loss of power. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that on the return leg of the cross-country instructional flight at 5,500 feet mean sea level and 10 nautical miles from her destination airport, the engine lost power. The pilot reported that she then made a forced landing to a plowed field. A Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness inspector, who traveled to the accident site, reported that when both of the airplane's wing tanks were inspected for fuel, less than one gallon of fuel was drained from each tank. The inspector stated that the firewall and engine mount had sustained substantial damage, the nose landing gear had separated, and that both main landing gear structures were bent aft. The inspector also revealed that the pilot had landed across the rows of the plowed field.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.