Cessna 150L accident near Pine Bluff, Arkansas, August 2, 2003
On August 2, 2003 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N6791G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pine Bluff, Arkansas (Grider Field). 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
Inadequate preflight planning which resulted in fuel exhaustion during the cross country flight. A factor associated with the accident was the rough terrain encountered during the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 2, 2003 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Pine Bluff, Arkansas · Grider Field · map
- 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
- N6791G · no longer on the register · serial 15072291
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane nosed over in a soybean field during a forced landing due to fuel exhaustion while on a cross country flight. The pilot made one quick en route stop and decided to make his second stop to refuel and check the weather. The airport where he landed had run out of fuel. The pilot was informed of another nearby airport that had just installed a new fuel pump. Upon reaching that airport, the only pump he could locate contained diesel fuel. The pilot then departed for another airport where he knew fuel was available. A loss of engine power occurred when he was approximately 5 miles away from the airport. The pilot reported the right fuel tank quantity indicator was showing one-quarter of a tank and the left fuel tank quantity indicator was bouncing between one-quarter tank and empty. The pilot reported that due to nearby obstructions, he elected to land on a small dirt road in a soybean field. He stated he lowered the flaps during the landing approach, but they did not extend all the way. He stated there were trees and a plow at the end of the road. The pilot stated that as the airplane touched down, he heard the flap motor running. The pilot reported, "As the trees ahead became closer I could sense that I had too much speed to stop in what I thought might be a safe distance from the trees and knew I had to turn, at the last moment and go into the soybean rows to dissipate the forward speed." He reported that once in the field, the airspeed decreased and the airplane nosed over. The pilot reported he flew a Hobbs time of 3.7 hours during the trip.
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: 231 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 194 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,574 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 22, 2002; 79 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4M3 Carlisle AR at 7:00 pm
- Destination: PBF Pine Bluff AR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 5:01 am from PBF, 3 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.