Primary finding
Probable cause
The student pilot's failure to refuel the airplane. A factor was his becoming lost
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The student pilot became lost during a solo cross country flight. He could not find his original destination and landed at an airport about 20 miles away. He elected to not refuel and took off in an attempt to find the original airport. He was unsuccessful and then started to divert to a third airport. After being airborne for a total of 4 hours the airplane ran out of gas and the pilot executed a forced landing to an open pasture. During the landing roll the nose gear collapsed. The accident location was 20 miles from the intended divert airport
Source record
Factual narrative
On Sunday, April 18, 1993, at approximately 1610 central daylight time, a Cessna 150F, N8979S, was substantially damaged when it nosed over during a forced landing near Garrison, Texas. The forced landing was executed following a complete loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. The airplane, owned by a private individual, leased to Beaumont Wings, and rented to the student pilot, was on a solo instructional cross country flight which was to have gone from Beaumont, Texas, to Henderson, Texas, and return. No flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed throughout the area. The student pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. According to the pilot and the operator, the flight departed the Beaumont airport at 1200. The student was supposed to fly direct to the Rusk County airport in Henderson, Texas. From Henderson, he was supposed to fly to Palestine, Texas, land and refuel, and then proceed direct back to Beaumont. The pilot stated that he got lost and could not find Rusk County Airport. He landed instead at Cherokee County Airport, near Gallatin, Texas, about 20 miles southwest of Henderson. He elected not to refuel at Gallatin. Instead he took off with the intention of finding the Rusk County Airport. When he could not find the airport a second time, he decided to fly to Nacogdoches, Texas, and refuel there before proceeding on to Beaumont. He stated that the engine quit after about 4 hours total flight time and he elected to land in an open pasture. The nose gear collapsed during the landing and the airplane nosed over. Garrison, Texas, was about 20 miles northeast of Nacogdoches, and not on the route of flight from Gallatin or Henderson. -