FTW01LA001

Factual narrative

On October 1, 2000, at 1600 central daylight time, a Cessna 150L single-engine airplane, N11390, sustained substantial damage following a loss of engine power during takeoff/initial climb from the Nashville Howard County Airport, near Nashville, Arkansas. The airplane was owned and operated by Pro Aviation, Inc., of Mountain Home, Arkansas. The private pilot, sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight to Mountain Home, Arkansas, with a refueling stop planned at Hot Springs, Arkansas. The 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight was originating at the time of the accident. A flight plan was not filed. The pilot reported that earlier in the day, he and a passenger departed Mountain Home, Arkansas, with full fuel for the cross-country flight to Nashville. The GPS time recorded for the flight was 1 hour and 53 minutes. After deplaning the passenger at Nashville, the pilot took another passenger for a local flight for 10 to 15 minutes in the vicinity of Nashville. After returning the passenger to the Nashville Howard County Airport, the pilot departed for the return cross-country flight to Mountain Home. During the takeoff, the airplane "began to run rough for a few minutes." The pilot landed the airplane on runway 19, taxied to the ramp area, and conducted a ground run of the airplane. No discrepancies were noted during the ground run, and the pilot performed the second takeoff. During the runway 19 takeoff/initial climb, approximately 400 feet agl, the engine began to run rough and then stopped completely. With the engine stopped, the pilot determined that the airplane would not make the airport. The pilot landed the airplane in a field adjacent to the airport, and during the landing roll, the airplane struck a terrace, collapsed the nose landing gear, nosed over and came to rest inverted. Local authorities reported that the vertical stabilizer was damaged and the propeller blades were straight. The FAA inspector, who responded to the accident site, found no evidence of fuel at the site or in the airplane. He further reported that the integrity of the fuel system was not compromised. The operator reported an accumulated flight time of 3 hours since the last known refueling. In the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2), it was reported that the estimated fuel on board at the last takeoff was 8 gallons. At 1553, the local weather observation at Texarkana, Arkansas (31 nautical miles southwest of the accident site), reported the wind from 200 degrees at 10 knots. The wings were removed from the airframe and the airplane was transported to Air Salvage of Dallas, Lancaster, Texas, for further investigation. On November 15, 2000, the engine remained attached to the airframe with the original propeller installed for an engine run. No discrepancies were noted during the 17 minute engine run at various power settings. During the takeoff, the single-engine airplane 'began to run rough for a few minutes.' The pilot landed the airplane at the airport, taxied to the ramp area, and conducted a ground run of the airplane. No discrepancies were noted during the ground run, and the pilot performed the second takeoff. During that takeoff/initial climb, approximately 400 feet agl, the engine began to run rough and then stopped completely. The pilot landed the airplane in a field adjacent to the airport, and during the landing roll, the airplane struck a terrace, collapsed the nose landing gear, nosed over and came to rest inverted. The operator reported an accumulated flight time of 3 hours since the last known refueling. The pilot/operator estimated the fuel at the last takeoff was 8 gallons. No evidence of fuel was found at the accident site or in the airplane. The integrity of the fuel system was not compromised. No discrepancies were noted during the 17-minute post-accident engine run. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12