Event WPR21LA127

Factual narrative

On February 27, 2021, about 1116 mountain standard time, a Cessna 150E airplane, N6135T, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Marana, Arizona. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 positioning flight. According to the pilot, after accomplishing a touch-and-go landing and while in the traffic pattern at an altitude of about 1,300 ft above ground level, the airplane lost engine power. The pilot was unable to restore power and decided to make a forced landing. The pilot selected a location that looked like a dirt road. As the airplane approached the selected landing location, the pilot realized that it was a ditch full of water, so he maneuvered the airplane to an adjacent field. When the nose gear was lowered during the landing roll, the airplane nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the tail, nose landing gear, and airframe firewall. During postaccident examination of the engine, an external fuel source was attached to the airplane’s fuel line, and the battery was charged. The engine started uneventfully but ran for several seconds only and not continuously. Examination of the engine’s carburetor found no anomalies. The carburetor was secured back to the engine to accomplish another engine run. The engine started uneventfully and ran for several minutes at various power settings. The magnetos were checked, and an appropriate drop in engine rpm was noted. The engine ran smoothly and responded to rapid throttle movements. No anomalies were noted during the engine run. After accomplishing a touch-and-go landing while in the traffic pattern at an altitude of about 1,300 ft above ground level, the airplane lost total engine power. The pilot was unable to restore power and made a forced landing in a field. When the nose gear was lowered during the landing roll, the airplane nosed over. The first postaccident test run of the engine revealed that it could run but not continuously. The engine’s carburetor was examined, and no anomalies were noted. During a second test run, the engine started uneventfully and ran for several minutes at various power settings. Examination of the engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. As a result, the investigation was unable to determine the cause of the total loss of engine power during the accident flight based on the available evidence for the investigation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• — Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-Engine (reciprocating)-(general)-Unknown/Not determined