Cessna 150J accident near Roseburg, Oregon, August 20, 2005
On August 20, 2005 at about 1:30 am local time, a Cessna 150J, registered CFYKO, was substantially damaged in an accident near Roseburg, Oregon (Roseburg Regional 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 loss of engine power as a result of fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning and failure to refuel the airplane. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 2005 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Roseburg, Oregon · Roseburg Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150J · all 150Js on the register
- Registration
- CFYKO · no longer on the register · serial 15070467
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, the airplane was about 7 nautical miles from the destination airport descending through 5,500 feet msl, when "the rpm dropped to 1000 rpm from 2500 rpm. After about 20-30 sec. the engine completely stopped." Several attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful, and the pilot made a forced landing in an open field. The field was rough, and the nose wheel collapsed during the landing roll. Both the left and right wings contacted the ground, and the airplane came to rest nose down. The pilot noted that "fuel was leaking from the overflow valve." Local authorities responded to the scene and found the airplane positioned nose down with fuel dripping from one tank when they arrived. The airplane was moved back onto the main landing gear, and the fuel leakage stopped. The local authorities reported that the amount of fuel leakage was small, likely less than 1 gallon. An A&P mechanic, who recovered the airplane to the airport, reported that there was structural damage to the left wing and the firewall. Additionally, the mechanic drained approximately 1 cup of fuel from the left tank and 1 gallon of fuel from the right tank. Three days after the accident, the mechanic added 3 gallons of fuel to each tank, started the engine and performed a static run up. The engine started and ran with no discrepancies noted.
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, foreign licence
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,447 hours in all; 1,427 in this make and model; 137 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OAK Oakland CA
- Destination: RBG Roseburg OR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.