Cessna 150C accident near Sunnyslope, Washington, October 28, 2000
On October 28, 2000 at about 1:27 am local time, a Cessna 150C, registered N7886Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sunnyslope, Washington (Bremerton National airport). 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
The pilot's decision not to deviate to an alternate airport for fuel after encountering strong headwinds, resulting in fuel exhaustion. Factors contributing to the accident were the unfavorable winds and the sign impacted during the forced landing rollout.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 28, 2000 · about 1:27 am local time
- Place
- Sunnyslope, Washington · Bremerton National · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150C · all 150Cs on the register
- Registration
- N7886Z · no longer on the register · serial 15059986
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and passenger departed Friday Harbor, Washington, in the Cessna 150C with 9.0 gallons of fuel on board. They were destined for Bremerton, Washington, approximately 63 nautical miles (straight line distance) south-southeast. The pilot encountered 50-knot headwinds and did not stop for fuel en-route to his destination. During his approach to runway 19 at Bremerton, the engine coughed and subsequently died. The pilot executed a forced landing on a state highway about one mile north of the destination airport. During the rollout, the aircraft's right wing impacted a road sign. Upper air winds recorded for western Washington at the time of his departure were 48 knots from 160 degrees true at approximately 2,080 feet above sea level. An FAA inspector interviewed the pilot following the accident during which the pilot reported that he '...radioed the low fuel emergency...' and then '...ran out of fuel and had to make an emergency landing....'
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 761 hours in all; 753 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,140 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2000; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FRI Friday Harbor WA
- Destination: PWT Bremerton WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 190° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,400 ft; scat at 100 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:35 am from PWT, 1 miles away
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.
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.