Cessna 150 N8158F

Summary

On 20 February 2024 at about 17:38 local time, a Cessna 150 registered N8158F was involved in an accident near Dunnellon, Florida, 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

20 February 2024 at 17:38

Classification

Accident

Location

Dunnellon, Florida, United States

Coordinates

29.0073, -82.5113

Aircraft

Cessna 150

Registration

N8158F

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Brooksville → Dunnellon

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA24LA117

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inadequate preflight fuel planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a subsequent total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, approximately 8 miles from the destination airport, and while flying at 2,000 ft mean sea level, the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful. The pilot subsequently conducted a forced landing to a blueberry field impacting several sprinkler heads, which resulted in substantial damage to both wings. The pilot stated that during his preflight inspection, a calibrated fuel dipping stick for the accident airplane make and model was not available, so the pilot “took a look down” into the fuel tanks and was relying on the instrument panel-mounted fuel gauges to determine the quantity of fuel in the airplane. The gauges read about ½ full for both tanks and the pilot felt confident that was sufficient for the planned 23-minute flight. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane after the accident. The inspector observed that both fuel tanks were intact and that only a minimal amount of fuel remained in each. The inspector also noted that the fuel gauges in the instrument panel read “at E on the left tank and just above E on the right tank.” Based on this information, it is most likely that the pilot inaccurately determined the amount of fuel available for the flight prior to departure, which subsequently resulted in fuel exhaustion and a total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.