AUSTIN, TX, USA
N66773
Cessna 150M
According to tower personnel at the airport, the pilot declared an emergency due to a low fuel state. Within minutes the engine was reported to have lost power, and the pilot announced that he was attempting to execute a forced landing in a local high school field approximately 1 mile southeast of the airport. The airplane missed the field, collided with power lines, and subsequently impacted an unoccupied residence in a nose low attitude. The pilot stated that he departed Addison at approximately 1000 hours with the fuel gages reading between 3/4 and full. The pilot added that he navigated to Austin at 4,000 feet MSL, and based on the smoke being emitted from a fire near a lake, he determined that he had a tailwind. A detailed examination of the airplane's fuel system confirmed that no usable fuel was present in either fuel cell. The distance between Addison, Texas, and Austin, Texas, is 166.2 nautical miles.
On December 25, 1996, at 1205 central standard time, a Cessna 150M airplane, N66773, was substantially damaged upon impact with a house during a forced landing near Austin, Texas. The non-instrument rated private pilot sustained minor injuries and his passenger was uninjured. The airplane, owned by a private owner, was being operated by Addison Air Training Inc., under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross country flight for which a flight plan was not filed. The flight departed from Addison, Texas, at approximately 1000. According to tower personnel at the Robert Mueller Airport in Austin, Texas, the pilot declared an emergency due to a low fuel state. The engine was reported to have lost power and the pilot announced that he was attempting to execute a forced landing in a local high school field approximately one mile southeast of the airport. The airplane missed the field, collided with power lines, and subsequently impacted an unoccupied residence in a nose low attitude. On the enclosed NTSB pilot/operator report, the pilot stated that he departed Addison at approximately 1000, with the fuel gages reading between 3/4 and full. The pilot stated that a student pilot told him that there was some fluid leaking on the nose wheel tire. The pilot further stated that his wife later told him that she had observed the same condition prior to getting in the airplane. Prior to leaving the ramp area, the flight instructor told the pilot "not to worry." The pilot added that he navigated to Austin at 4,000 feet MSL, and based on the smoke being emitted from a fire near a lake, he determined that he had a tailwind. Examination of the 1974 model airplane by the FAA inspector confirmed that both wings and the airframe sustained structural damage. A detailed examination of the airplane's fuel system confirmed that no usable fuel was present in either fuel cell. The distance between Addison and Austin, Texas, is 166.2 nautical miles.
The loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as result of the pilot's failure to refuel the airplane. Factors were the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing and the pilot's improper preflight inspection of the fuel system.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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