Accident Details
On August 22, 2009, at approximately 1755 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150J, registration N61022, was substantially damaged following a loss of engine power and subsequent forced landing near Fairmount, Georgia. The aircraft was operated by a private individual under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. The student pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed.
Flight History
The flight originated from Cherokee County Airport (47A) in Canton, Georgia, at about 1740, with a destination of Rome, Georgia (RMG). The pilot was on a solo cross-country flight that had begun earlier in the day in Walterboro, South Carolina. While en route to RMG, he noticed that his transponder was intermittent, prompting a diversion to 47A for maintenance. A mechanic found that the aircraft battery required charging. After approximately one hour of charging, the pilot departed for RMG.
Loss of Engine Power and Forced Landing
While en route, about 25 miles from RMG, the engine began to run roughly. The pilot applied carburetor heat for about 30 seconds with no improvement. When the engine stopped running, he initiated a forced landing to a cow pasture. During the flare, he climbed slightly to avoid livestock and touched down on grass. The aircraft collided with a barbed wire fence and came to rest against a tree.
Post-Accident Inspection
An FAA inspector examined the wreckage at the scene. The left wing spar sustained structural damage. Fuel depth measurements, taken with the aircraft in a near-level attitude, showed approximately 1.5 inches in the left tank and 1.0 inches in the right tank.
The wreckage was recovered to the owner's hangar in Walterboro, South Carolina, where a detailed examination was performed on September 21, 2009, by the NTSB investigator-in-charge, an FAA airworthiness inspector, the pilot, and the mechanic who performed the last annual inspection.
Engine and Fuel System Examination
Engine examination revealed no evidence of blockage or malfunction in the air intake system. The propeller was turned by hand, establishing internal continuity. Valve action was correct, and compression was observed on all cylinders. Spark plugs were removed; the number two cylinder top plug showed carbon fouling, numbers one and three bottom plugs were oil-soaked, and the remaining plugs were normal.
The carburetor contained approximately one ounce of light-blue fuel in the bowl, along with about one-half teaspoon of finely granulated, dark-colored sediment. The fuel strainer on the engine firewall was disassembled, revealing approximately two tablespoons of a moist, white, chalk-like substance. Some of this substance was in small solid pieces, and some adhered to the internal fuel screen. A visual inspection of the wing fuel tanks showed no evidence of internal contamination.
Maintenance History
The mechanic who performed the last annual inspection on September 26, 2008, reported that during that inspection, he opened and examined the fuel strainer and found no significant contamination. After the inspection, the airplane was stored outside for several months without being flown. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had flown about 18 hours since the annual inspection.
Pilot Information
The pilot reported on the NTSB form 6120.1 a total flight time of 180 hours, including 165 hours in the Cessna 150. He had logged 6 hours in the Cessna 150 during the 90-day period preceding the accident.
Weather Conditions
The 1753 weather observation at RMG, located 22 miles west-southwest of the accident site, included a broken ceiling at 9,500 feet, surface winds from 300 degrees at 4 knots, 10 statute miles visibility, temperature 27 degrees Celsius, dew point 16 degrees Celsius, and an altimeter setting of 29.87 inches of mercury.