TULSA, OK, USA
N8960U
Cessna 150M
During the approach to runway 36L at the Tulsa International Airport, and after being cleared to land, the student pilot reported to ATC that the 'aircraft was out of fuel and going to crash.' The airplane struck some trees and came to a stop with one wing against a house and the other wing on top of a fence, approximately one half mile from the approach end of the runway. A total of 7-quarts of fuel were drained from both fuel tanks. The student pilot's flight instructor had only authorized him to fly solo for the purpose of practicing flight maneuvers, and not to fly at night or fly cross-country. The pilot reported that 'he went sightseeing and knew he would have to stop for fuel.' The pilot intended to land at the Grove Municipal Airport; however, he could not locate the airport. The pilot then flew to the Vinita Municipal Airport; however, fuel is not available at this airport. The pilot reported that he 'sticked the fuel' and found that the airplane's fuel tanks had approximately 2 inches of fuel. The pilot decided to fly the 44 nautical miles to the Tulsa International Airport to get fuel.
On November 9, 1996, at 1943 central standard time, a Cessna 150M, N8960U, registered to and operated by Airman Flight School as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, was substantially damaged during a forced landing, following a loss of engine power near Tulsa, Oklahoma. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the night cross country flight, and a flight plan was not filed. The student pilot was not injured. The flight originated from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, about 3.8 hours before the accident. The student pilot's flight instructor had only authorized him to fly solo for the purpose of practicing flight maneuvers, and not to fly at night or fly cross country. The pilot reported to the FAA inspector that "he went sightseeing and knew he would have to stop for fuel." The pilot intended to land at the Grove Municipal Airport, Grove, Oklahoma; however, he could not locate the airport. The pilot then flew the airplane to the Vinita Municipal Airport, Vinita, Oklahoma, and landed. Fuel was not available at this airport. The pilot reported that he "sticked the fuel" and found that the airplane's fuel tanks had approximately 2-inches of fuel. The pilot decided he had enough fuel to fly the 44 nautical miles to the Tulsa International Airport, Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he knew he could get fuel. During the approach to runway 36L at the Tulsa International Airport, and after being cleared to land, the pilot reported to ATC that the "aircraft was out of fuel and going to crash." The airplane struck some trees and came to a stop with one wing against a house and the other wing on top of a fence, approximately one half mile from the approach end of the runway. The FAA inspector reported that the airplane's Hobbs meter showed 4.5 hours since it was last fueled. He also reported the airplane had been flown .7 hours prior to the student pilot flying solo. Examination of the airplane revealed that both wings were bent and twisted, and the empennage was partially separated. The operator reported to the FAA inspector that during recovery of the aircraft, they had drained a total of 7-quarts of fuel from the fuel tanks.
Fuel exhaustion due the student pilot's failure to refuel. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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