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...

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Key Takeaways:

  • A Cessna 150M sustained substantial damage and its pilot minor injuries during a forced landing near Paxton after losing power due to fuel exhaustion.
  • The pilot missed his intended airport near Champaign due to wind, then failed to locate Paxton airport after six attempts, ultimately running out of fuel en route from Kansas to Detroit.
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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.

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