SEA05CA175

Factual narrative

On August 19, 2005, about 1830 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 150J, Canadian registration CF-YKO, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing following a loss of engine power during descent into the Roseburg Regional Airport, Roseburg, Oregon. The pilot, the sole occupant, who held a Canadian commercial pilot certificate, was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal cross country flight. The flight departed from Oakland International Airport, Oakland, California, at 1458, with a destination of Roseburg. According to the pilot, the airplane was about 7 nautical miles east southeast of Roseburg descending through 5,500 feet msl, when "the rpm dropped to 1000 rpm from 2500 rpm. After about 20-30 sec. the engine completely stopped." Several attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful, and the pilot made a forced landing in an open field. The field was rough, and the nose wheel collapsed during the landing roll. Both the left and right wings contacted the ground, and the airplane came to rest nose down. The pilot noted that "fuel was leaking from the overflow valve." Local authorities responded to the scene and found the airplane positioned nose down with fuel dripping from one tank when they arrived. The airplane was moved back onto the main landing gear, and the fuel leakage stopped. The local authorities reported that the amount of fuel leakage was small, likely less than 1 gallon. An A&P mechanic, who recovered the airplane to the airport, reported that there was structural damage to the left wing and the firewall. Additionally, the mechanic drained approximately 1 cup of fuel from the left tank and 1 gallon of fuel from the right tank. On August 22, 2005, the mechanic added 3 gallons of fuel to each tank, started the engine and performed a static run up. The engine started and ran with no discrepancies noted. According to the pilot, the airplane was about 7 nautical miles from the destination airport descending through 5,500 feet msl, when "the rpm dropped to 1000 rpm from 2500 rpm. After about 20-30 sec. the engine completely stopped." Several attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful, and the pilot made a forced landing in an open field. The field was rough, and the nose wheel collapsed during the landing roll. Both the left and right wings contacted the ground, and the airplane came to rest nose down. The pilot noted that "fuel was leaking from the overflow valve." Local authorities responded to the scene and found the airplane positioned nose down with fuel dripping from one tank when they arrived. The airplane was moved back onto the main landing gear, and the fuel leakage stopped. The local authorities reported that the amount of fuel leakage was small, likely less than 1 gallon. An A&P mechanic, who recovered the airplane to the airport, reported that there was structural damage to the left wing and the firewall. Additionally, the mechanic drained approximately 1 cup of fuel from the left tank and 1 gallon of fuel from the right tank. Three days after the accident, the mechanic added 3 gallons of fuel to each tank, started the engine and performed a static run up. The engine started and ran with no discrepancies noted. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12