Cessna 150L accident near Valley Spring, Texas, November 27, 2000
On November 27, 2000 at about 1:50 am local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N18609, was substantially damaged in an accident near Valley Spring, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion after the pilot became lost during cruise flight. A contributing factor was the dark night condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 27, 2000 · about 1:50 am local time
- Place
- Valley Spring, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N18609 · registry record · serial 150-73984
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a night cross-country flight, the private pilot became lost and elected to turn back toward an airport he had over flown. During the pilot's diversion, the engine lost power. The pilot attempted to restart the engine by pumping the throttle. The engine gained a few RPM, but would not restart. The pilot saw what appeared to be a vehicle and attempted to land on a road. During the approach, the airplane struck a tree and came to rest in a tree approximately 6 feet above the ground. According to the aircraft salvage personnel, they removed 1 gallon of fuel from the right fuel tank and approximately 1 cup of fuel from the left fuel tank. The engine was test run under the supervision of an NTSB investigator. The engine was test run for 15 minutes at various power settings.
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: 138 hours in all; 125 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 5, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F61 Pauls Valley OK at 9:45 pm
- Destination: 5R3 Lago Vista TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from BMQ, 31 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW01LA028.