Event CEN16LA162

Factual narrative

On April 21, 2016, about 1515 central daylight time, a Cessna 150J airplane, N51242, made a forced landing to a road following a loss of engine power near Bixby, Oklahoma. The airline transport rated pilot was not injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Rolla National Airport (VIH), Rolla, Missouri about 1220 and was on final approach to Richard Lloyd Jones Jr. Airport (RVS), Tulsa, Oklahoma. According to a statement provided by the pilot, the airplane was purchased prior to departure from VIH and the fuel tanks were topped off. During the initial descent to RVS, about 2,300 ft above ground level (agl), the pilot advanced the mixture control to full rich, applied carburetor heat, and began to retard the throttle when the engine suddenly experienced a total loss of power. The pilot completed the restart procedures and the engine started again. When the pilot advanced the throttle and the engine reached 1,700 rpm, the engine lost power again. After a second restart, the engine reached 1,350 rpm and lost power a final time. The pilot declared an emergency and descended toward a road. Prior to touch down, a car pulled out onto the road so the pilot climbed to avoid the car, then quickly descended to avoid power lines. The airplane's left wing impacted a road sign; the airplane spun and came to rest adjacent to a parking lot. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector reported that the airplanes wings had been removed and an unmeasured amount of fuel was drained from the fuel tanks prior to his arrival. A postaccident engine examination was completed by an airplane mechanic with oversight from another FAA inspector. The gascolator mounted to the firewall contained 2 to 3 ounces of fluid. The fluid was blue and clear with no visible contaminants. The carburetor heat box was removed and was unobstructed. The carburetor and induction intakes were unobstructed. The fuel line to the carburetor was removed and no fuel residue was observed. The carburetor was disassembled and the bowl contained about one ounce of fuel. There was not enough fuel to allow the float to rise. A cylinder compression test was completed with the engine cold and revealed the following: No. 1 cylinder 34 pounds per square inch (PSI), No. 2 cylinder 30 PSI, No. 3 cylinder 56 PSI, No. 4 cylinder 60 PSI. The standard minimum pressure for the test was 46 PSI. No exhaust or intake valve leakage was noted. A review of the engine maintenance records revealed that an annual inspection was completed on October 1, 2015, at 4,890.67 hours of total time in service, 3,376.67 hours of tachometer time, and 1,638.77 hours since major overhaul. At the time of the annual inspection the differential compression test values were noted as: No. 1 77/80, No. 2 76/80, No. 3 78/80, No. 4 77/80. The No. 3 cylinder had excessive valve leakage so the cylinder was removed, the exhaust and intake valves were replaced, and the cylinder reinstalled. The No. 3 cylinder was retested and the noted compression value was 78/80. On February 25, 2016, a pre-buy inspection was completed on behalf of the previous owner, at which time a cylinder compression check was completed. The new owner purchased the airplane with a clause the he could have his own pre-buy inspection completed within 30 days of the purchase date. That pre-buy inspection was not completed due to the accident. The pilot was relocating the recently-purchased airplane, and stated that he departed on the 3-hour flight with full fuel tanks, which provided an endurance of about 5 hours. During the descent to the destination airport, the pilot advanced the mixture control to full rich, applied carburetor heat, and began to retard the throttle; the engine then suddenly experienced a total loss of power. The pilot restarted the engine multiple times, but the engine would not sustain power. The pilot subsequently conducted a forced landing to a road, during which the airplane struck a sign, resulting in substantial damage. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the wings had been removed for transport, and an unquantified amount of fuel was drained from the fuel tanks. The gascolator contained 2 to 3 ounces of fuel. The fuel line to the carburetor was removed and no fuel residue was observed. The carburetor was disassembled and the bowl contained about one ounce of fuel. The engine was rotated by hand and displayed continuity and compression throughout. Although a compression test revealed that the Nos. 1 and 2 cylinders displayed low compression, the test was conducted on a cold engine, which was contrary to manufacturer guidance and could have provided unreliable readings. No other anomalies were observed with the engine, and a definitive reason for the loss of power could not be determined. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid level - C
• F Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid management - F
• F Personnel issues-Task performance-Maintenance-Scheduled/routine maintenance-Maintenance personnel - F