Cessna 150K accident near Honolulu, Hawaii, December 10, 2001
On December 10, 2001 at about 3:45 am local time, a Cessna 150K, registered N6136G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Honolulu, Hawaii (Honolulu airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection and improper in-flight decision and planning.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 10, 2001 · about 3:45 am local time
- Place
- Honolulu, Hawaii · Honolulu · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150K · all 150Ks on the register
- Registration
- N6136G · no longer on the register · serial 15071636
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot rented the airplane and did not fill the fuel tanks prior to taking off for a planned round-robin flight between the islands of Oahu and Lanai. The pilot spent about 30 minutes on the ground at Lanai during which time he did not check the quantity of fuel in the tanks. No fuel was obtained at Lanai, and the pilot attempted to fly back to Oahu. After flying a total of approximately 1.9 hours, fuel starvation occurred about 8 miles east of the pilot's intended destination, the Honolulu International Airport. The pilot made a forced landing in a park and during rollout the airplane collided with a mango tree. During the postimpact airplane examination, the undamaged right wing fuel tank was found containing several drops of fuel. The damaged (but not breached) left wing fuel tank contained about 1 quart of fuel. According to the Cessna Aircraft Company, the airplane's nominal fuel consumption rate is 6.0 gallons per hour, and its unusable fuel in all flight conditions is about 3.5 gallons.
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: 101 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 38 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 15, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,053 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 15, 2001
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Oahu Aviation Flight School, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: LNY Lanai, Hawaii HI at 2:50 am
- Destination: HNL Honolulu HI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 070° at 12 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,800 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 am from HNL, 8 miles away
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.