Cessna 150F accident near Fort Wayne, Indiana, September 26, 2015
On September 26, 2015 at about 7:45 am local time, a 1966 Cessna 150F, registered N6922F, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Fort Wayne, Indiana (Smith Field Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning and fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 2015 · about 7:45 am local time · cases in 2015
- Place
- Fort Wayne, Indiana · Smith Field Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F, built 1966 · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N6922F · no longer on the register · serial 15063522
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot stated that he departed on a series of local flights with about 1 hour, 10 minutes of fuel onboard. The pilot stated that he made two 15-minute flights, and, about 1 minute after takeoff on the third flight, the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot performed a forced landing, during which the airplane struck a power line, a house, and terrain. Examination of the fuel tanks revealed no useable fuel; neither tank was breached during the accident. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane. Therefore, it is likely that the pilot miscalculated the total amount of fuel onboard and, thus, the total flight time before fuel exhaustion.
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
What happened, in order
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (climb to cruise)
- Loss of engine power (total) during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management other cases naming the fuel system
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level other cases naming the fuel system
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 223.8 hours in all; 208.8 in this make and model; 7.3 in the last 90 days; 2.9 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,443.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 29, 2015; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 3,425 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SMD Fort Wayne IN
- Destination: SMD Fort Wayne IN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 070° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 6:54 am from FWA, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on March 14, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Correspondence - Aircraft Recovery | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Airplane Owner's Manual - Fuel System Excerpt | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Copies of Pilot Logbook Received from Pilot's Attorney | PDF, 34 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Record of Correspondence - FAA | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N6922F: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 150 7,992 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,683 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-200A 296 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Smith Field · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Indiana 1,363 since 1982 · 176 in the last ten years
- Indiana 5,694 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN15LA433.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.