Cessna 150 accident near Sandstone, Minnesota, April 10, 2006
On April 10, 2006 at about 4:30 am local time, a Cessna 150, registered N50970, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sandstone, Minnesota. 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 total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's inadequate preflight. A contributing factor was the unsuitable 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
- April 10, 2006 · about 4:30 am local time
- Place
- Sandstone, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N50970 · no longer on the register · serial 15069681
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The single-engine airplane sustained substantial damage during a forced landing after a loss of engine power. The pilot reported that after about one hour of flight during a night cross-country flight, the engine began to run rough. The pilot reported that he pulled the carburetor heat on, and the engine ran normally for about 1-5 minutes. He reported that the engine lost power without any warning indications. He executed a forced landing to a field, but the airplane "ground looped" during the rollout. The inspection of the airplane revealed that the fuel tanks had minimal fuel in the tanks. No fuel leaks were observed and no fuel was visible on the ground. The Hobbs meter indicated that the airplane was flown 4.9 hours since the last time the airplane was filled with fuel. The airplane held 26 gallons of fuel with 22.5 gallons useable.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 115 hours in all; 50 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ROS Rush City MN at 3:30 am
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.