Cessna 150K accident near Jay, Maine, June 8, 1997
On June 8, 1997 at about 4:50 pm local time, a Cessna 150K, registered N6218G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jay, Maine. 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 inaccurate fuel consumption calculations which resulted in fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 1997 · about 4:50 pm local time
- Place
- Jay, Maine
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150K · all 150Ks on the register
- Registration
- N6218G · registry record · serial 15071718
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was in cruise flight at 7,500 feet with the mixture leaned out when he developed 'engine problems.' The pilot thought he had encountered carburetor icing, so he applied carburetor heat and changed the mixture. The pilot was near Lebanon, New Hampshire, when it appeared the engine problem was resolved, so he chose to continue to his destination. The pilot reported that some time later, he heard a loud noise from under the engine and experienced engine 'roughness.' He pilot attempted to restore engine power by leaning the mixture, checking the magnetos, and by changing flight attitude and direction. However, after a few minutes the engine completely lost power. The pilot stated the engine stopped and he performed a forced landing to a road. During the forced landing, the airplane struck a sign, went over an embankment, and came to rest in a ditch. The pilot reported that he had been flying for 3 to 3.5 hours and that he should have had 5 hours of flight time on full tanks and that, '...fuel usage was 5 gallons per hour.' Examination of the wreckage revealed 1.5 gallons of fuel on board. According to the Pilot's Operating Handbook, the airplane had a 26 gallon fuel capacity, of which 22.5 gallons was usable. The duration of the accident flight was 3.8 hours.
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: 367 hours in all; 25 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 18, 1996
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SCH Schenectady NY at 1:08 pm
- Destination: 2B7 Pittsfield ME
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 55 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,800 ft; scat at 400 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:47 pm from MWN, 40 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.