Fuel Exhaustion & Starvation · NTSB CEN23FA077
CESSNA 150H — Auburn, NE
| Date | January 12, 2023 |
| Location | Auburn, NE |
| Aircraft | CESSNA 150H |
| Purpose of flight | Instructional |
| Conditions | Night · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Approach Fuel related |
| Pilot age | 24 |
| Pilot total time | 572 hrs · Building experience |
| Time in type | 15 hrs |
| Fatalities | 2 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Instructor/check pilot
- Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-Engine controls-(general)-Not used/operated
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-Conducive to carburetor icing-Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Light condition-Dark-Contributed to outcome
What happened
The flight instructor and student pilot flew a visual arrival to a non-towered airport in dark night visual meteorological conditions. Flight track information revealed that the airplane approached the airport and its last recorded position was consistent with a left downwind entry to the traffic pattern. The wreckage was located about 1.2 miles south of the runway, where the airplane impacted a farm field in a near wings-level and moderate nose-down attitude.
Examination of the airplane and engine revealed no evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction that would have precluded normal operation. The carburetor heat control was in the full forward (off) position at the accident site and the wing flaps were retracted. The weather conditions around the time of the accident were conducive to the development of serious carburetor icing at cruise power settings. The propeller spinner and both propeller blades exhibited minimal rotational damage, and the airplane’s impact attitude was consistent with a loss of control.
The cockpit was equipped with flood ‘strip’ lights, which the flight instructor had previously reported could make viewing the in-set instruments in the cockpit more difficult at night.
It is likely that the pilots were maneuvering to land before the accident occurred and would have been operating the airplane at a reduced engine power setting. The reduced power, lack of carburetor heat, and the atmospheric conditions present at the time would have significantly increased the engine’s susceptibility to the development of carburetor icing, and resulted in a loss of engine power. Given the lack of flight track information, and witnesses, whether the accident occurred during the approach for the first landing or during a subsequent traffic pattern/landing could not be determined. The extent to which the dark night conditions, airplane interior lighting, and lack of cultural lighting in the vicinity of the airport may have contributed to the outcome also could not be determined.