Cessna 150H accident near Sweet Home, Oregon, June 20, 1997
On June 20, 1997 at about 8:20 pm local time, a Cessna 150H, registered N6599S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sweet Home, Oregon. It was a personal 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's inadequate preflight preparation and his inadequate inflight planning which resulted in fuel exhaustion. A factor was 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
- June 20, 1997 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- Sweet Home, Oregon · 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
- N6599S · no longer on the register · serial 15067399
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he fueled the airplane with 5.5 gallons of auto fuel and dipped the airplane's fuel tanks before takeoff (stating in his accident report that 'I must have misread the fuel dipstick.') The pilot was unable to provide a record of the most recent fueling. He reported the aircraft usable fuel quantity at takeoff as 13 gallons (usable fuel capacity is 22.5 gallons for standard tanks, with which the accident airplane was manufactured.) He stated that as the airplane was descending for landing, 4 to 5 miles from the airport, the engine stopped. The pilot was unable to glide to the airport, and turned toward an alternate field. The plane landed, hit a blackberry patch and an embankment, and spun onto a two-lane road where it came to rest. The accident occurred 1 hour and 12 minutes after takeoff (fuel burn at 65% power is about 5 gallons per hour.) An FAA inspector found only 1 1/2 gallons of fuel on board the aircraft at the accident scene (unusable fuel is 3 to 3 1/2 gallons.) No evidence of an inflight fuel leak or engine malfunction was found.
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
- Flight time: 1,239 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 74 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 1,180 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,514 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 7, 1996; 105 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: 2OR7 OR at 7:08 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.