Cessna 150H accident near Livingston, Alabama, October 26, 2013
On October 26, 2013 at about 6:45 pm local time, a 1968 Cessna 150H, registered N684RA, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Livingston, Alabama. It was a personal 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 pilot's inadequate soft-field technique during the precautionary landing, which resulted in a nose-over. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in departure with an open fuel port and the subsequent in-flight, overboard venting of the fuel supply.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 26, 2013 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Livingston, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150H, built 1968 · all 150Hs on the register
- Registration
- N684RA · registry record · serial 15068698
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After purchasing the airplane, the pilot serviced it with fuel at the self-service pump and then departed on the cross-country flight to his home airport. About 1.4 hours into the flight, he noticed the fuel quantity displayed on the fuel gauges rapidly decreasing and the electrical system "discharging." (Although the pilot reported he had been flying for 45 minutes, based on the takeoff and landing location, the airplane traveled 140 miles; the airplane's cruise speed is 100 mph; therefore, he had been flying about 1.4 hours.) The pilot chose to conduct a precautionary landing to a field. Upon landing, the nose gear dug into the soft soil, and the airplane then nosed over and came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to the engine firewall. According to the pilot, the engine was running "fine" throughout the flight, and it never stopped producing power. The pilot recovered and disassembled the airplane before reporting the accident. During recovery, he noted that one of the two 13-gallon fuel tanks was empty and that the other tank contained about 1/4 tank of fuel (about 3 to 4 gallons), which confirmed that his fuel gauges were reading accurately. After the accident, only one fuel cap was recovered from the airplane, and a similar fuel cap was recovered at the self-service pump at the departure airport. Interpolation of performance data revealed that, at a 6 gallon-per-hour fuel consumption rate, the airplane would have consumed about 8 gallons of fuel. With one fuel tank venting overboard and the engine consuming 8 gallons of fuel from the other tank, the airplane would have contained about 4 gallons of fuel at landing.
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
- Part(s) separation from AC during prior to flight
- Fuel starvation during enroute defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel storage › Inadequate inspection
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › (general) › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,400 hours in all; 750 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,173 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 18, 2013
- Maximum gross weight: 1,601 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor 0-200 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KCMD Cullman AL at 5:15 pm
- Destination: L38 Gonzales LA
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.28 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 pm from KDYA, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.