At 10:31 CST, a Cessna 150M lost power during cruise and suffered substantial damage during a forced landing near Paxton. The pilot suffered minor injuries. The flight originated at Chanute, Kan., at 07:10 CST, and was en route to Detroit. The pilot told investigators that he decided to land at an airport near Champaign, Ill., after about 2 hours of flight but missed the airport due to the wind. He then diverted to Paxton and, after six attempts, was unable to locate the airport. The airplane ran out of fuel and the pilot landed on a plowed farm field 2 miles west of the Paxton airport. The pilot reported losing consciousness for an unknown amount of time following the accident. The left wing fuel tank contained no fuel and the right wing fuel tank contained less than one cup of fuel.
Feb. 3, Paxton, Ill. / Cessna 150M
At 10:31 CST, a Cessna 150M lost power during cruise and suffered substantial damage during a forced landing near Paxton. The pilot suffered minor injuries. The flight originated at Chanute, Kan., at 07:10 CST, and was en route to Detroit. The pilot told investigators that he decided to land at an airport near Champaign, Ill., after about 2 hours of flight but missed the airport due to the wind. He then diverted to Paxton and, after six attempts, was unable to locate the airport. The airplane ran out of fuel and the pilot landed on a plowed farm field 2 miles west of the Paxton airport. The pilot reported losing consciousness for an unknown amount of time following the accident. The left...
Key Takeaways:
- A Cessna 150M suffered substantial damage and the pilot sustained minor injuries during a forced landing near Paxton after losing power during cruise.
- The power loss was due to fuel exhaustion after the pilot missed an intended landing in Champaign and then failed to locate Paxton airport despite multiple attempts.
- Post-accident inspection confirmed the aircraft's fuel tanks were empty or nearly empty.
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