MIAMI, FL, USA
N50918
Cessna 150J
The student pilot was on a solo cross-country flight. He stated that he experienced a loss of engine power at 1800 feet while approaching Kendall-Tamiami Airport for landing. He made a distress call and selected a forced landing area. The pilot made a forced landing on a dirt trail. The nose gear collapsed on landing roll out in soft terrain and the airplane spun around 180 degrees. Examination of the aircraft revealed that no useable fuel was found in the aircraft tanks or fuel system.
On April 6, 1997, about 1500 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150J, N50918, registered to Kirk Enterprises, Inc., operated by ADF Airways Corp., while on a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight, crashed during a forced landing in the vicinity of Kendall-Tamiami Airport, Miami, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a visual flight rules flight plan was filed. The student pilot reported minor injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged. The flight originated from La Belle, Florida, about 1 hour 30 minutes before the accident. The student pilot was on a solo cross-country flight from Miami to Fort Pierce, Florida, with a scheduled fuel stop at La Belle before returning to Miami. The pilot stated he purchased 8.3 gallons of 100LL aviation fuel, and estimated that he had 10.0 total gallons of fuel on board the airplane when he departed for Miami. The pilot experienced a loss of engine power at 1,800 feet in the vicinity of Kendall-Tamiami Airport. The pilot made a distress call, selected a forced landing area, and landed on a dirt trail. The nose gear collapsed on landing rollout in nonsuitable soft terrain and the airplane spun around 180 degrees. Examination of the aircraft revealed that no useable fuel was found in the aircraft tanks or fuel system. The pilot stated to the FAA inspector that he ran out of fuel. He also stated in the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report that his fuel/distance/time calculations were incorrect and poor flight planning on his part contributed to this accident.
The student pilot's inadequate preflight planning and improper fuel consumption calculations which resulted in fuel exhaustion. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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