Cessna 150M accident near Clinton, Washington, January 13, 2002
On January 13, 2002 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N704NY, was substantially damaged in an accident near Clinton, Washington. It was an instructional 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
Fuel exhaustion while in cruise flight resulting in a loss of engine power and the pilot's failure to refuel the aircraft. The pilot's inadequate preflight planning/preparation and a fence post were factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 13, 2002 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Clinton, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N704NY · no longer on the register · serial 15078754
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that prior to departure for the round robin cross country flight, he visually checked the fuel tanks which he estimated to be about 3/4 full. During the return flight, the engine lost power. The pilot attempted to restart the engine with no success. A forced landing was initiated. During the landing roll, the right horizontal stabilizer collided with a fence post. Post accident examination of the fuel tanks revealed that the right fuel tank contained a small amount of fuel, and the left fuel tank was empty. Fueling records and aircraft rental logs found that the aircraft had previously flown 2.2 hours and had not been refueled. The accident flight was 1.6 hours in duration at the time of the loss of power.
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: student
- Flight time: 55 hours in all; 55 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 12 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,649.7 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 3, 2002; 8 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: BLI Bellingham WA at 10:00 pm
- Destination: TIW Tacoma WA
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; scat at 1,900 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.35 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 pm from NUW, 24 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.