Cessna 150 accident near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, June 28, 2007
On June 28, 2007 at about 7:18 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N7842E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. 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 decision to conduct the flight while impaired by alcohol, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and substantial damage to the airplane during the subsequent forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 28, 2007 · about 7:18 pm local time
- Place
- Lancaster, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N7842E · registry record · serial 17642
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
At approximately 1518 eastern daylight time, the owner/pilot of a Cessna 150 conducted an emergency landing off-airport in a cornfield after a total loss of engine power. No flight plan was filed, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. According to local law enforcement personnel, the pilot said he departed Smoketown Airport (S37), Smoketown, Pennsylvania, at approximately 1345. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector that was on scene, the fuel quantity remaining was less than the manufacturer's published minimum fuel required for engine operation in flight. The inspector did not report any fuel tank damage or leaks. Additionally, the inspector reported that the pilot's third class medical certificate had expired in May 2003, that the pilot did not meet the Flight Review currency requirements, and that the ELT battery was beyond its expiration date. The pilot failed field sobriety tests administered to him on-site by a local law enforcement officer, and a breathalyzer test yielded an alcohol concentration reading of 0.153 percent blood alcohol. FAR 91.17(a) specifies a maximum blood alcohol concentration of less than 0.04 percent.
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: 700 hours in all; 680 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,220 hours
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S37 Smoketown PA
- Destination: KLNS Lancaster PA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,300 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from LNS, 5 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.