Cessna 150D accident near Bloomfield, Kentucky, June 15, 2006
On June 15, 2006, a Cessna 150D, registered N4542U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bloomfield, Kentucky (Paoli Municipal Airport). 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 fuel consumption calculations, 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
- June 15, 2006
- Place
- Bloomfield, Kentucky · Paoli Municipal Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150D · all 150Ds on the register
- Registration
- N4542U · no longer on the register · serial 15060542
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Cessna 150D experienced a total loss of engine power during cruise flight, about 3.2 hours after departure. The pilot attempted to perform an emergency landing to a road, but the airplane's right wing struck power lines, and it subsequently impacted the ground. The pilot reported to Federal Aviation Administration inspectors that the engine began to run rough and then stopped operating. A postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed about 2 ounces of fuel in the fuel tanks, and less than 1 ounce of fuel in the carburetor and gascolator. For testing purposes, the engine was supplied with 1 pint of new fuel and run at various power settings for approximately 5 minutes, with no abnormalities noted. According to the airplane's Pilot Operating Handbook, its approximate engine operating endurance was 3.9 hours, at altitudes between 2,500 feet and 7,500 feet, with full fuel tanks, a lean fuel mixture setting, and a power setting of 75-percent. The actual fuel load at takeoff could not be obtained, and repeated attempts by the Safety Board to contact the pilot were unsuccessful.
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: 180 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,226 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2006; 17 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: NONE Concord NC at 9:00 pm
- Destination: I42 Paoli IN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 340° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from KLOU, 22 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.