Cessna 150 accident near Salt Lake City, Utah, April 21, 1996
On April 21, 1996 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N8873S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Salt Lake City, Utah. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the student pilot's inadequate preflight planning/preparation, by failuring to properly calculate the fuel consumption of the airplane, which led to fuel exhaustion and loss of power during cruise flight, due to an inadequate supply of fuel. A factor relating to the accident was: the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 21, 1996 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Salt Lake City, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N8873S · registry record · serial 15062173
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot performed a forced landing after a sudden loss of engine power. She attempted a forced landing in a shopping mall parking lot. However, before landing, the airplane collided with a flexible flag pole and tree, and was substantially damaged. The airplane remained suspended in the tree until rescue personnel arrived. The student pilot received minor injuries. Both fuel tanks remained uncompromised and were inspected after the accident; no evidence of fuel was found. Also, no preimpact mechanical deficiency was found. The pilot stated that she may have exhausted the airplane's fuel supply during the flight. Investigation revealed that she had utilized inaccurate information to perform fuel consumption calculations, and that she took on an inadequate amount of fuel at her last departure point. The student pilot had deviated from the flight plan that was endorsed by the flight instructor.
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: 45 hours in all; 45 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,000 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 10, 1995
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U42 West Jordon UT
- Destination: MLF Milford UT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA96LA082.