Cessna 150M accident near Haverford Twp., Pennsylvania, October 5, 2000
On October 5, 2000 at about 2:00 am local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N704ST, was substantially damaged in an accident near Haverford Twp., Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Also causal was the pilot's inability to locate the airport. A factor in this accident was the dark night conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 2000 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Haverford Twp., Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N704ST · no longer on the register · serial 15078844
- 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 departed with about 7 or 8 gallons of fuel on board; however, he was not certain how long he had been in flight. The pilot reported the airplane 'ran out of gas' while searching for an airport at night, and he performed a forced landing into trees. The airplane came to rest about 150 feet into a quarry and was not recovered. The airplane's last annual inspection was about 13 months prior to the accident. The pilot's most recent Federal Aviation Administration medical certificate was dated about 13 years prior to the accident. He reported 200 hours of total flight experience at that time.
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: 200 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,495 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 8, 1999; 5 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: N99 West Chester PA
- Destination: N57 Toughkenamon PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 260° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:00 pm from PHL, 20 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.