Cessna 150L accident near Taft, Texas, June 13, 1998
On June 13, 1998 at about 1:20 am local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N10519, was substantially damaged in an accident near Taft, Texas. 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 failure to ensure that there was adequate fuel for the planned flight on board the airplane during the preflight inspection which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. A factor was the pilot's misjudgment of the glide distance during the forced landing which resulted in the airplane impacting objects short of the intended landing site.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 13, 1998 · about 1:20 am local time
- Place
- Taft, Texas · 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
- N10519 · no longer on the register · serial 15074901
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted a power line and a tree during a forced landing following a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. The 72-hour private pilot did not verify the amount of fuel on board the airplane during the pre-flight inspection. When the engine lost power, the pilot initiated a forced landing to a road. However, he misjudged the landing, and the airplane contacted a power line and a tree short of the intended landing site. The airplane then impacted the ground, slid approximately 15 feet, and came to rest upright in the driveway of a residence. Approximately 1 quart of fuel was drained from the airplane's fuel system following the accident.
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: 72 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,873 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CRP Corpus Christi TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 140° at 18 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.