Cessna A150L accident near Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, August 6, 1997
On August 6, 1997 at about 11:43 pm local time, a Cessna A150L, registered N23JR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Waynesburg, Pennsylvania (Green County 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 preflight by failing to ensure there was adequate fuel on board, which resulted in fuel exhaustion during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 1997 · about 11:43 pm local time
- Place
- Waynesburg, Pennsylvania · Green County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A150L · all A150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N23JR · registry record · serial A1500259
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After over 3 hours of flight, the pilot noted the airplane's fuel quantity was low, and he landed for fuel. The fuel pumps were closed at that airport, and the pilot departed for another airport, with the fuel gauges reading 1/8 for the left tank and 1/4 for the right tank. After takeoff, about 300 feet above the ground, the engine lost power. The pilot completed a right 180 degree turn back to the airport, and the airplane touched down in a field, ballooned, then continued onto a road where it struck road signs and nosed over. After the accident, a witness heard the pilot state that he ran out of fuel. Examination of the airplane revealed 'some' fuel in the fuel lines, carburetor, and filter, and a small quantity of fuel in the airplane's wing tanks. The Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) stated that 3.5 gallons of fuel was unusable. The POH also depicted a fuel duration of 3.2 to 3.9 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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 645 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 540 as pilot in command; 63 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,529 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 9, 1997; 51 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: WAY at 11:35 pm
- Destination: MGW Morgantown WV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 3,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 250° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from MGW, 18 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.