Cessna 150F accident near Puyallup, Washington, October 26, 2022
On October 26, 2022 at about 8:04 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N6492F, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Puyallup, Washington. 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 pilot’s inadequate fuel management that resulted in the loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 26, 2022 · about 8:04 pm local time · cases in 2022
- Place
- Puyallup, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N6492F · registry record · serial 15063092
- 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, after completing the first half of a cross country flight, he departed without checking the airplane’s fuel level. Before reaching his destination, the airplane’s engine lost power and the pilot attempted to restart the engine, without success. The pilot executed a forced landing to an open field, where during the landing roll, the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The vertical stabilizer was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that he had exhausted all available fuel and that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level other cases naming the fuel system
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 186 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 39 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 56 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 13, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,380 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 27, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-200 SERIES (piston); 4,380 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HQM Hoquiam WA at 12:00 pm
- Destination: S50 Auburn WA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft; scat at 2,600 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 1:05 pm from KTCM, 7 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KTCM 262005Z AUTO 22010KT 10SM SCT026 BKN035 OVC044 12/07 A3011 RMK AO2 SLP201 $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on December 30, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N6492F on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 150 7,994 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,682 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor O-200 SERIES 8,792 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Bowerman Field · departed from
- Auburn Municipal · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Washington 2,713 since 1982 · 362 in the last ten years
- Washington 10,644 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR23LA026.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.