Event CHI96LA296

Factual narrative

On August 14, 1996, at 0955 central daylight time (cdt), a Cessna 150, N61094, piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged when it collided with trees and terrain during a forced landing approximately seven miles south of Olathe, Kansas. The pilot reported a total loss of engine power. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot reported no injuries. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight was not operating on a flight plan. The flight departed Richards-Gebaur Memorial Airport, Kansas City, Missouri, at 0910 cdt. According to the pilot's written statement, he departed Richards- Gebaur Memorial Airport at 0910 cdt for a local flight prior to returning the airplane to Olathe Airport. He flew over the Stillwell and Spring Hill, Kansas areas while sightseeing and was approaching the airport from a point approximately five to six miles south when the engine lost power. The pilot assumed best glide speed, performed his checklist emergency items and selected a field for an off-airport landing. On the landing roll out in a pasture, the left wing struck a tree, spinning the airplane counter clockwise. As it did so, the right wing also struck trees. Two Federal Aviation Administration Inspectors represented the NTSB on-scene. The inspector interviewed the pilot and discovered the pilot had flown to Popular Bluff Municipal Airport, Popular Bluff, Missouri early on the morning of Tuesday, August 13, 1996, to meet with his flight instructor and take the practical test for his private pilot certificate. The pilot successfully completed the test and was issued a private pilot certificate. The pilot then had fuel tanks filled before departing the airport, at approximately 1845 cdt for a flight to Richards-Gebaur Memorial Airport non-stop, with an elapsed flight time of two hours and 58 minutes. The pilot reported setting 2,475 RPM at 6,500 feet MSL and leaning the mixture to engine roughness and then enriching slightly. After arriving at the airport, no fuel was added during the overnight stop. The day of the accident, the pilot did a preflight of the airplane and noted that the fuel gauges read approximately one-quarter full on both tanks. He visually checked the fuel and was inconclusive for quantity, but he did see fuel in the bottom of each tank. The pilot stated that he knew he was low on fuel, but that he felt the tanks were nowhere near empty. To the best of his recollection, the fuel gauges never dropped below the one-quarter full indication, the same reading he had noted during his preflight at the airport. The FAA Inspector's on-scene examination of the airplane was unable to find more than eight ounces of fuel remaining in the fuel system. Approximately three hours and 43 minutes of flight time had elapsed since the airplane had last been refueled. The airplane was refueled with five gallons of fuel. After priming the fuel system, the engine was started in a normal manner with no abnormalities noted. The engine was run to power for approximately five minutes with no problems noted. There were no fuel leaks noted during the priming process nor during the engine run. After flying a cross-county flight on the previous day, with an elapsed flight time of two hour and 58 minutes, the private pilot did not refuel the airplane for the last leg of his cross-county flight. Then after flying an additional flight time of 45 minutes, there was a total loss of engine power. Approximately three hours and 43 minutes of flight time had elapsed, since the airplane had been last refueled. During examination of the airplane, only about eight ounces of fuel was found remaining in the fuel system. A test run of the engine was successful with no signs of fuel leaks. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12