Cessna 150L accident near Iowa Park, Texas, April 12, 2001
On April 12, 2001 at about 8:00 am local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N19045, was substantially damaged in an accident near Iowa Park, Texas (Wichita Valley 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
fuel exhaustion during takeoff due to the pilot's failure to refuel.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 12, 2001 · about 8:00 am local time
- Place
- Iowa Park, Texas · Wichita Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N19045 · registry record · serial 15074122
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After about 3.8 hours of night cross country instructional flight, the CFI and dual student pilot were in a local touch and go pattern toward the conclusion of the planned flight. With the student pilot at the controls, during the final take off, the airplane was at an altitude of about 50 feet AGL when the engine lost power. The CFI took control and landed the airplane on the end of the departure runway, but could not stop before rolling through a grass field, a barbed wire fence, over a road, and into a ditch. A visual inspection of the aircraft at the accident site revealed that the fuel gauge for the left fuel tank did not register any amount of fuel, and the right fuel tank gauge registered below the "E" mark on the gauge. A visual check of the sight gauges on level ground showed about 1/4 gallons in the right fuel tank and less than 1 gallon in the left fuel tank.
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: student
- Flight time: 3,784 hours in all; 92 in this make and model; 64 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 3,620 as pilot in command; 3,329 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 8, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Flight time: 33 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OF2 Bowie TX at 7:00 am
- Destination: T47 Wichita Falls TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 3,320 ft by 40 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 300° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
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.
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 FTW01LA099.