Cessna 150 accident near Marshall, Texas, July 30, 2022
On July 30, 2022 at about 7:50 pm local time, a 1965 Cessna 150, registered N6212Y, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Marshall, Texas. It was an instructional 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s inadequate fuel planning and improper in-flight decision-making which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 30, 2022 · about 7:50 pm local time
- Place
- Marshall, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 E, built 1965 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N6212Y · registry record · serial 15061390
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While en route to his home airport, the student pilot reported that the engine rpm momentarily decreased. When the engine rpm decreased a second time, he reported to air traffic control that he had engine issues. The student pilot applied carburetor heat, and engine power was restored, but shortly thereafter the engine lost total power. Unable to reach the destination airport, the student pilot performed a forced landing to a field. During the landing, the airplane collided with trees and a fence line, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. Postaccident examination of the airframe revealed both the left and right fuel tanks were empty when checked with a dipstick and no fuel came out when either tank was sumped. About 7 ounces of fuel was sumped from the fuel strainer and an additional empty water bottle of fuel was drained from the bottom of the engine after the airplane was recovered. After the accident the engine started and ran for about 10 minutes before it quit. Fuel range and endurance calculations were performed using automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data and the student pilot’s statements. The student pilot had fully fueled the airplane on the morning of the accident and departed to another airport to meet with a flight instructor for several flights. The total flight time was calculated to be about 4 hours. The student reported using a full rich mixture setting during the flight and estimated the airplane consumed about 6 gallons per hour. The total fuel capacity of the airplane was 26 gallons of which 22.5 gallons were listed as being usable. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with fuel exhaustion. The fact that the engine started and ran on residual fuel in the fuel system is evidence that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have prevented normal operation of the engine during the flight.
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 enroute defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Student/instructed pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Student/instructed pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KTRL Terrell TX at 6:49 pm
- Destination: KASL Marshall TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 9 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 3:15 pm from KASL, 5 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KASL 302015Z AUTO 21009G14KT 10SM SCT060 36/19 A3003 RMK AO1 T03570193=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN22LA355.