Cessna 150M accident near Stuart, Florida, November 20, 2001
On November 20, 2001 at about 10:25 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N590AM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Stuart, Florida. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper fuel consumption calculations resulting in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and collision with trees during a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 20, 2001 · about 10:25 pm local time
- Place
- Stuart, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N590AM · registry record · serial 150-76540
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot stated that prior to departure she fueled the airplane herself. She then departed Stuart and flew to Melbourne, Florida, and then returned to Stuart. The traffic pattern at Stuart was very busy, so she went to the practice area. She then made contact with the Stuart Control Tower and was cleared to enter right base for runway 7. She was about 8 miles from the airport, at 2,500 feet, and the engine was operating at 2,300 rpm. The engine then quit and she made a forced landing in a orange grove. Postcrash examination of the airplane by FAA inspectors showed the fuel selector was on, the right fuel tank was empty, and the left fuel tank contained 1.5 to 2 gallons of fuel. There was no evidence of fuel leakage from the airplane after the accident or in-flight prior to the accident. The engine tachometer showed the airplane had operated 3.1 flight hours since the pilot took the airplane. After the airplane was recovered, FAA inspectors observed company maintenance personnel attach a fuel supply to the engine and then start and operate the engine with no evidence of mechanical failure or malfunction. The Pilot Operating Handbook for the Cessna 150 shows the airplane has 3.5 gallons of unusable fuel.
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: 75 hours in all; 37 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 14 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,231 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 4, 2001; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Florida Pilot School, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: SUA Stuart FL at 7:20 pm
- Destination: SUA Stuart FL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from SUA, 8 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.