Event LAX94LA280

Factual narrative

On July 11, 1994, at 0748 hours mountain standard time, a Cessna 150G, N3003S, collided with the terrain after making a forced landing in a vacant field off the departure end of runway 6R at Ryan Field, Tucson, Arizona. The student pilot experienced a loss of engine power after takeoff from a series of eight touch-and-go landings. The aircraft was operated by Windwalker Aviation of Tucson. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the pilot received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight. According to Federal Aviation Administration inspectors and the operator, the right fuel tank was found empty and the left fuel tank had about 10 gallons of fuel in it at the time of takeoff. The student pilot did not fuel the aircraft before the flight. He estimated he had about 8 gallons of fuel for a 1 hour flight at 6 gallons per hour. The flight lasted about .9 hours and was conducted in the traffic pattern. A mechanic at the airfield reported that the right fuel tank was empty and the left fuel tank was extensively damaged and had a small amount of fuel remaining. He was not able to obtain an accurate measurement of the fuel remaining. He also reported there was no evidence of fuel leakage. THE STUDENT PILOT DEPARTED WITH ABOUT 8 GALLONS OF USABLE FUEL TO DO A SERIES OF TOUCH-AND-GO LANDINGS FOR AN HOUR IN THE AIRPORT TRAFFIC AREA. AFTER THE EIGHTH LANDING AND DURING THE CLIMB OUT, THE ENGINE QUIT AND HE MADE A FORCED LANDING IN AN OPEN FIELD. THE RIGHT WING FUEL TANK WAS FOUND EMPTY AND THE LEFT WING TANK WAS DAMAGED WITH A SMALL AMOUNT OF FUEL REMAINING. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FUEL LEAKAGE. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12