Skip to content

GAA17CA542

2017-08-30 · Wasilla, Alaska, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport IYS

Current FAA registration · N2996S

Make / Model
CESSNA 150G
Engine
CONT MOTOR 0-200 SERIES (100 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19670616
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A31A24

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot’s inadequate in-flight fuel planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion, the subsequent total loss of engine power, and a forced off-airport landing.

Factual narrative

The solo student pilot reported that on a cross country flight she diverted to a closer airport because the airplane was low on fuel. She added that she executed a go-around after a high approach, but when she advanced the throttle forward, the engine experienced a total loss of engine power. She landed the airplane straight ahead in brush. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. A postaccident examination revealed that the airplane had less than the 3.5 unusable gallons of fuel. The student pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The solo student pilot reported that, on a cross-country flight, she diverted to a closer airport because the airplane was low on fuel. She added that she executed a go-around after a high approach, but when she advanced the throttle forward, the engine experienced a total loss of engine power. She then landed the airplane straight ahead in brush. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. Postaccident examination revealed that the airplane had less than the 3.5 unusable gallons of fuel. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid level - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Student/instructed pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2017_GAA17CA542.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (fuel exhaustion, go-around). All research papers