Marcelles, MI, USA
N9327U
Cessna 150M
The airplane sustained substantial damage during a forced landing to a field after a loss of engine power. The certified flight instructor (CFI) reported that they had been flying for about one hour. The airplane was in cruise flight at 3,000 feet above mean sea level with the student pilot at the controls when the engine sputtered and quit. The CFI reported that he took control of the airplane and determined that the airplane was out of fuel. He executed a forced landing to a field. The inspection of the airplane revealed that the left fuel tank had about one gallon of fuel and the right tank was empty. The student pilot reported that he had conducted the preflight and walk-around of the airplane. The student pilot noticed that the airplane was low on fuel but failed to inform the CFI that the airplane needed fuel before takeoff.
On June 16, 2005, at 0945 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150M, N9327U, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing to a field near Marcelles, Michigan, after a loss of engine power. The certified flight instructor (CFI) received a serious injury, and the student pilot was not injured. The 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight departed Three Rivers Municipal Airport (HAI), Three Rivers, Michigan, on a local flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was filed. The CFI reported that they had been flying for about one hour. The airplane was in cruise flight at 3,000 feet above mean sea level with the student pilot at the controls when the engine sputtered and quit. The CFI reported that he took control of the airplane and determined that the airplane was out of fuel. He executed a forced landing to a field. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane. The inspection of the airplane revealed that the left fuel tank had about one gallon of fuel and the right tank was empty. The student pilot informed the FAA inspector that he had conducted the preflight and walk-around of the airplane. The student pilot noticed that the airplane was low on fuel but failed to inform the CFI that the airplane needed fuel before takeoff.
The total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the CFI's inadequate supervision and inadequate planning/decision. The student pilot's inadequate preflight planning was a contributing factor.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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