FRISCO, TX, USA
N50495
Cessna 150J
Following a touch and go landing, the airplane was climbing out when, at about 200 to 300 feet above the ground, the engine lost power. During the forced landing in a field covered by tall grass, the nose landing gear dug into the ground, and the airplane nosed over, coming to rest in the inverted position. The owner stated that there was no evidence of fuel leakage under the wings, and he was not able to smell fuel at the accident site. According to the airplane's hour meter, the airplane had flown for 3.2 hours since its last fuel servicing. The 1,060-hour flight instructor reported that he did not visually check the fuel quantity prior to the flight, since the student receiving instruction reported to him that the fuel tanks were 'half full.'
On September 12, 1999, at 1940 central daylight time, a Cessna 150J airplane, N50495, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Frisco, Texas. The flight instructor and the student pilot receiving instruction were not injured. The airplane was owned by a private individual and was being operated by Classic Aviation, Inc., of Dallas, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the Title 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight for which a flight plan was not filed. The local flight originated from the Addison Airport, near Dallas, Texas, approximately 40 minutes prior to the accident. According to local law enforcement personnel, who responded to the accident site, the flight instructor reported that the student performed a touch and go landing on runway 17 at the Frisco Airport. The flight instructor added that while the airplane was climbing out when, at about 200 to 300 feet above the ground, the engine lost power without warning. The flight instructor stated that he took control of the airplane and turned westbound in an attempt to land in an open field covered by tall grass. During the landing roll, the nose landing gear dug into the ground, and the airplane nosed over, coming to rest in the inverted position. The owner of the airplane reported to the NTSB investigator-in-charge that the vertical stabilizer, rudder, and portions of the elevator sustained structural damage. The owner stated that there was no evidence of fuel leakage under the wings, and he did not smell fuel at the accident site. The operator stated that the airplane was last topped off with 11.7 gallons of 100 LL aviation fuel at 1318 in the afternoon. According to the airplane's hour meter, the airplane had been flown for 3.2 hours since its last fuel servicing. The 1,060-hour flight instructor reported that he did not visually check the fuel quantity prior to the flight, since the student receiving instruction reported to him that the fuel tanks were "half full."
Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's inadequate preflight and his failure to refuel the airplane. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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