Cessna 150H accident near Spangle, Washington, February 18, 2000
On February 18, 2000 at about 10:40 pm local time, a Cessna 150H, registered N50348, was substantially damaged in an accident near Spangle, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Exhaustion of the fuel supply due to a leaking fuel tank system. Factors contributing to the accident were, inaccurate fuel quantity sensors, the lack of suitable terrain in the area of the forced landing, and a fence alongside the dirt upon which the pilot attempted the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 18, 2000 · about 10:40 pm local time
- Place
- Spangle, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150H · all 150Hs on the register
- Registration
- N50348 · no longer on the register · serial 15069245
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While on a long cross-country flight, the pilot noticed that the aircraft had used considerably more fuel than it should have, and that he was then low on fuel. While attempting to get to an airport for a precautionary landing, the engine lost power. The pilot lined up to land in an open field, but as he got lower, he realized it was full of large rocks and was too bumpy. He therefore tried to land on a dirt road which sat between a power line on one side and a barbed wire fence on the other. During the landing flare, the aircraft contacted the fence resulting in a yaw that brought it in contact with a series of fence posts. An investigation revealed that the aircraft's fuel storage and distribution system had leaked considerable fuel, and that the fuel quantity sensing system was very unreliable.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,446 hours in all; 4,500 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 7,256 as pilot in command; 6,163 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,768 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 24, 1999; 28 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S12 Albany OR at 7:40 pm
- Destination: COE Coeur D'Alene ID
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N50348 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.