On April 2, 2004, a Cessna 150M (registration N66758) was involved in an aviation accident near Orem, UT. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot stated that he ran out of fuel. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A private pilot reported fuel exhaustion during a flight, leading to a forced landing where the aircraft struck a tree and impacted the ground. Examination showed minimal fuel remaining.
Incident Details
The private pilot communicated that the aircraft had exhausted its fuel supply. In response, the pilot initiated a forced landing procedure, selecting an open field adjacent to the eastern shore of a lake as the landing site. During the descent and landing attempt, the right wing of the airplane impacted the upper branches of a 50-foot tree. Following the wing strike, the airplane continued its descent and made contact with the ground in a nose-down orientation.
Aircraft Examination
A subsequent inspection of the aircraft was conducted. It was determined that both wing fuel tanks had remained intact and did not suffer rupture or leakage. The fuel that remained in the tanks was quantified at approximately two cups, confirming that the fuel quantity was extremely low.