Cessna 150M accident near New Underwood, South Dakota, December 26, 2000
On December 26, 2000, a Cessna 150M, registered N63067, was substantially damaged in an accident near New Underwood, South Dakota. 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 planning and preparation, which resulted in fuel exhaustion. A factor relating to this accident was the plowed field.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 26, 2000
- Place
- New Underwood, South Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N63067 · no longer on the register · serial 15077076
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that he departed Kimball, South Dakota, with 17 gallons of fuel, which he said he "physically checked". The pilot said he flew 2.5 hours en route toward Spearfish, South Dakota, with a slight right quartering headwind. He said, "Expended all fuel 2.5 hrs (hours) into [the] flight, made [an] emergency lndg (landing) in a plowed field. Approximately 2-1/2 gallons of fuel was recovered from the airplane's fuel tanks. No other anomalies were found. The Cessna 150M Pilot's Operating Handbook states that the airplane's fuel capacity with standard tanks is 26 gallons. The total usable fuel is 22.5 gallons.
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: 136 hours in all; 46 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 51 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,663 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 20, 2000; 100 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: 6V6 Kimball SD at 10:10 pm
- Destination: SPF Spearfish SD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.