Cessna 150M accident near Benton, Kansas, August 28, 1997
On August 28, 1997, a Cessna 150M, registered N704TL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Benton, Kansas (Benton airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the flight instructor's (CFI') improper in-flight planning/decision, which led to fuel exhaustion and loss of engine power before the airplane was safely landed.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 1997
- Place
- Benton, Kansas · Benton · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N704TL · no longer on the register · serial 15078860
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor (CFI) said that he had planned for a 1 hour and 30 minute flight with a 30 minute fuel reserve. He and the student took off, went east of the airport to practice training maneuvers, then returned to the airport to do traffic pattern work. He said they were approaching their 30 minute reserve and he determined the next landing would be a full stop. The student misunderstood the instructions and attempted a touch-and-go. The student came in high and fast, touching down momentarily around mid-field. The CFI allowed the student to perform a go-around, believing that he had enough reserve fuel to do one more pattern. 'On climbout the engine quit.' The CFI turned the airplane back toward the runway and made a forced landing in a field. Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies with the airplane. Approximately 2 gallons of fuel were drained from the airplane's fuel tanks. The Pilot's Operating Handbook for the airplane stated that 3.5 gallons of the 26 gallon total fuel capacity were unusable.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 714 hours in all; 96 in this make and model; 79 in the last 90 days; 29 in the last 30 days; 528 as pilot in command; 34 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,481 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 26, 1997; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1K1 at 11:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 2,613 ft by 40 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 pm from ICT, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.