Cessna 150H accident near Ontario, Oregon, September 13, 2000
On September 13, 2000 at about 2:15 pm local time, a Cessna 150H, registered N22237, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ontario, Oregon (Ontario Muni airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot-in-command/flight instructor's failure to adequately refuel the aircraft, resulting in fuel exhaustion, and his subsequent high flare in a forced landing attempt, resulting in a stall and touchdown/impact on the nose gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 13, 2000 · about 2:15 pm local time
- Place
- Ontario, Oregon · Ontario Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150H · all 150Hs on the register
- Registration
- N22237 · registry record · serial 15068159
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft took off with between 1/4 and 1/2 fuel, and flew for about 30 to 45 minutes performing air work and touch-and-go landings before the accident. On the third touch-and-go takeoff, upon reaching the end of runway 32 at an altitude of 100 feet and airspeed of 65 to 70 knots, the aircraft's engine lost power. The instructor took control of the aircraft and attempted a forced landing in a mowed alfalfa field off the departure end of the runway. The instructor flared the aircraft slightly high and the nose dropped as the aircraft touched down, resulting in touchdown in a nose-low attitude that sheared the nose gear and supporting structure from the aircraft. In a post-accident examination of the aircraft, a total of 2.5 quarts of fuel was recovered from the aircraft's fuel system. The aircraft has a total fuel capacity of 26 gallons, of which 3.5 gallons are unusable.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all; 40 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 8,000 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,970 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 28, 2000; 43 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: ONO at 1:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 4,529 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 3 knots
- Sky: not recorded; scat
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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 N22237 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.