Cessna 150H accident near Smyrna, Delaware, June 30, 2006
On June 30, 2006 at about 3:00 am local time, a Cessna 150H, registered N6970S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Smyrna, Delaware. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's misjudged fuel calculations, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and subsequent loss of engine power. A factor was the nighttime lighting conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 30, 2006 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Smyrna, Delaware · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150H · all 150Hs on the register
- Registration
- N6970S · no longer on the register · serial 15067670
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot refueled the airplane prior to a flight to pick up his daughter. At the intermediate stop, the pilot did not refuel the airplane, but did show his daughter how much fuel was onboard and how much fuel was needed for the return trip. During that trip, while in cruise flight, the engine lost power, and the pilot attempted a nighttime forced landing to a field, but the airplane hit trees instead. Subsequent examinations of the airplane revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical anomaly or fuel leak. The pilot's daughter indicated to local authorities that the airplane had been low on fuel, and at the scene, about 1.5 gallons were found onboard. The owner's manual stated that 3.5 gallons of fuel were unusable. There were a number of airports along the approximate route of flight where the pilot could have purchased 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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 23,929 hours in all
- Last flight review: June 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,144 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2006; 108 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: MSV Monticello NY
- Destination: W29 Stevensville MD
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 am from DOV, 14 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.