Cessna 150M accident near Greenville, South Carolina, August 1, 1999
On August 1, 1999 at about 5:54 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N3206V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Greenville, South Carolina (Greenville-Donaldson Cen 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
A total loss of engine power while in descent for landing due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's failure to properly plan and load the fuel required, and the subsequent collision with the terrain 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
- August 1, 1999 · about 5:54 pm local time
- Place
- Greenville, South Carolina · Greenville-Donaldson Cen · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N3206V · no longer on the register · serial 15076421
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated he left his origination airport with a topped off left wing tank and 1/4 to 1/2 showing on the right wing tank. At about 3 miles from his destination, at about 1,500 feet agl, the engine vibrated and quit. The pilot tried to glide to an off duty runway but collided with a dirt embankment short of the runway. About 3 quarts of fuel were drained from the airplane's total fuel system, postcrash, and no evidence of any precrash fuel leakage could be found.
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: 111 hours in all; 111 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 87 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,993 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 19, 1998; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MYR Myrtle Beach SC at 3:16 pm
- Destination: GYH Greenville SC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 100°F (38°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from GMU, 7 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.