Cessna 150 N7987E

Summary

On 24 March 2015 at about 14:30 local time, a Cessna 150 registered N7987E, operated by Thomas Carr, was involved in an accident near Flushing, Michigan, United States. One person was on board and 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

24 March 2015 at 14:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Flushing, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

Dalton (3DA)

Coordinates

43.0000, -83.0000

Aircraft

Cessna 150

Registration

N7987E

Category

Airplane

Year built

1960

Engines

1

Operator

Thomas Carr

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Dalton → Waterford

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA15CA020

1 person had minor injuries.

Loss of engine power due to fuel contamination. A factor contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a preflight examination, the pilot identified fuel contamination from water, in his airplane's fuel tanks.  He removed approximately one quart of water each from the right wing, left wing, belly drain and engine strainer.  He thought he removed all the water from the fuel system and started the engine.  He performed an engine run up at twenty-two hundred revolutions per minute.  After a five minute engine run, the pilot decided the airplane was suitable for flight and initiated a take-off.  Upon reaching an altitude of four hundred feet, the engine lost power.  He entered an emergency descent and forced landing, subsequently impacting several trees and eventually the terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to wings, fuselage, and empennage.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.