Cessna 150F accident near Knox City, Texas, September 8, 2003
On September 8, 2003 at about 1:45 am local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N8158S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Knox City, Texas (Harrison Field Of Knox City Ai). 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 student pilot's inadequate flight planning/decision, resulting in fuel exhaustion and the loss of engine power. Contributing factors were the student pilot's failure to refuel the airplane and lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 8, 2003 · about 1:45 am local time
- Place
- Knox City, Texas · Harrison Field Of Knox City Ai · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8158S · no longer on the register · serial 15061758
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot did not refuel the airplane prior to departure for his return cross-country flight. Approximately 25 miles from the destination, he started a slow decent to approximately 3,500 feet msl at approximately 10 miles from the airport, the engine lost power, and the pilot initiated a forced landing to a field. There was no evidence of fuel found at the accident site.
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
Dual student
- Flight time: 75 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 47 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,672 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 20, 2003; 8.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental 0200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2T1 Muleshoe Munici TX at 6:15 pm
- Destination: F75 Harrsion Field TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1, 3,200 ft by 975 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 110° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 1:52 am from SPS
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.