Cessna 150 accident near Wadsworth, Ohio, February 15, 2020
On February 15, 2020 at about 6:00 pm local time, a 1976 Cessna 150, registered N714ER, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Wadsworth, Ohio (Wadsworth Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate preflight fuel planning, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 15, 2020 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wadsworth, Ohio · Wadsworth Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 M, built 1976 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N714ER · registry record · serial 15079124
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was on approach to land the airplane when the engine lost power and the airplane landed short of the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the engine mount. After the accident, a mechanic drained 2 gallons of fuel from the fuel tanks, which would not have been usable in flight. The pilot estimated there had been 7 gallons of fuel in the fuel tanks before the half-hour flight, and there is no evidence that the airplane had been fueled before the accident flight. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Given the length of flight and the average fuel burn, the pilot didn’t ensure sufficient fuel was onboard before departure.
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
- Fuel exhaustion during approach defining event
- Landing area undershoot during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,800 hours in all; 56 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 929 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,601 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: POV Ravenna OH at 5:30 pm
- Destination: 3G3 Wadsworth OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 3,529 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 5:56 pm from KBJJ, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on June 9, 2020. 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 Conversation FAA Inspectors | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Flightaware Flight History | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.