On November 2, 2006, a Cessna 150F (registration N7953F) was involved in an aviation accident near Mchenry, MD. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a loss of engine power during takeoff-initial climb. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot who did not visually verify fuel levels during preflight made an off-airport forced landing after engine sputtering. Postaccident recovery found less than one gallon in each tank.
Accident Description
The pilot had serviced the airplane with fuel approximately two flight hours before the accident flight. During the preflight inspection prior to the accident flight, the pilot did not visually verify the fuel level, a check he had performed during the previous flight. Instead, he assumed that about 7 gallons of fuel remained in the tanks. About one minute after takeoff, the engine began to sputter, and the pilot made an off-airport forced landing.
Postaccident Findings
During postaccident recovery efforts, less than one gallon of fuel was drained from each of the airplane's fuel tanks. When fuel was added to the tanks, the engine was successfully started and ran, indicating that the engine was capable of normal operation with adequate fuel supply.