Cessna 150M accident near Cincinnati, Ohio, August 15, 2001
On August 15, 2001 at about 5:20 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N704SE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cincinnati, Ohio (Lunken Field). 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 pilot's inadequate preflight planning which resulted in fuel exhaustion and subsequent loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 15, 2001 · about 5:20 pm local time
- Place
- Cincinnati, Ohio · Lunken Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N704SE · registry record · serial 150-78831
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot returned from a 2-plus hour cross-country flight, and entered the traffic pattern for landing at his home airport. The engine lost power, and the pilot performed a forced landing to a highway. Examination of the airplane revealed no pre-accident anomalies. The fuel system was intact with no leaks or damage noted. The fuel system was drained, and 1 gallon of fuel was collected. Both tanks were then serviced with 5 gallons of fuel, and a test run of the engine was performed. The engine started immediately and ran without interruption at various power settings. According to the airplane's owner's manual, the airplane had a fuel capacity of 26 gallons, 3.5 gallons of which are unusable. The pilot said he performed a preflight inspection of the airplane, but departed with an undetermined amount of fuel. He said, "I should not have trusted my fuel gauges and I should have had the tanks topped off so that I knew for sure how much fuel I had."
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 142 hours in all; 64 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 103 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 19, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,395 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 8, 2001; 71 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: PMH Portsmouth OH at 4:20 pm
- Destination: LUK Cincinnati OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21L, 6,101 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from LUK, 3 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.
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.