Cessna 150E N4017U

Summary

On 25 January 2015 at about 01:44 local time, a Cessna 150E registered N4017U, operated by Brian Vowell, was involved in an accident near Silver Springs, Nevada, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

25 January 2015 at 01:44

Classification

Accident

Location

Silver Springs, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Silver Springs (SPZ)

Coordinates

39.3978, -119.2686

Aircraft

Cessna 150E

Registration

N4017U

Category

Airplane

Year built

1965

Engines

1

Operator

Brian Vowell

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Carlos → Silver Springs

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

WPR15LA090

2 people had minor injuries.

The loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined during a postaccident examination of the airplane.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, before takeoff for the cross-country flight, the airplane had been topped off with fuel and had a total of 24 gallons onboard. During the descent for landing, the engine lost power. The pilot adjusted the mixture and throttle controls, and the engine regained power. About 10 to 15 minutes later, while continuing the descent, he noted that both fuel gauges indicated about one-quarter of a tank of fuel. Shortly after, the engine again lost power. The pilot's attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful. The airplane was unable to reach the runway, and the pilot landed the airplane in an open field adjacent to the airport. During the landing roll, the airplane struck the airport perimeter fence and came to rest upright. Immediately following the accident, no evidence of any fuel leaks was observed. The airplane was left unattended until the following day, at which time, about 2 quarts of fuel was removed from the left wing fuel tank, and about 1 quart of fuel was removed from the right wing fuel tank. No fuel was present within the airframe fuel strainer. Performance calculations indicated that, if proper leaning procedures were used, the flight would have required about 17.5 gallons of fuel and that about 5 gallons of usable fuel should have been remaining after the airplane reached its destination. The investigation was unable to determine why so little fuel remained in the airplane after the accident. After the airplane was recovered, an alternate fuel source was plumbed to the left wing inlet line. The engine successfully started; due to damage sustained to the propeller, the engine was run at a reduced power setting, and it ran for 5 minutes. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.