Cessna 150L accident near Sun City, Florida, January 13, 1996
On January 13, 1996 at about 4:33 am local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N18181, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sun City, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion. Darkness was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 13, 1996 · about 4:33 am local time
- Place
- Sun City, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N18181 · no longer on the register · serial 150-73848
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, about three hours into the flight, he experienced a complete loss of engine power. He selected a nearby state highway and attempted an emergency landing. During the landing roll, the airplane collided with a utility pole. During an examination of the airplane, no fuel was recovered from the left fuel tank, and approximately one gallon of fuel was recovered from the right tank. The engine performed properly during an operational check.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 120 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,966 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 29, 1995; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FXE Fort Lauderdale FL at 1:00 am
- Destination: X16 Tampa FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 340° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 am from TPA, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.