Cessna 150 N3174J accident near Dexter, Missouri

Probable cause

The pilot's impairment due to the ingestion of alcohol, which impaired his decision-making and resulted in his taking off and flying the airplane until the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion.

NTSB analysis

The private pilot was flying the airplane on a local night flight; the airplane was subsequently located in a heavily wooded area, and it had impacted trees, brush, and terrain and come to rest upright. The pilot reported that he had no recollection of the accident. The pilot did recall waking up inside the airplane after the accident and that it was dark outside and that the weather was not an issue.

An examination of the airplane revealed that there was no fuel in either wing fuel tank, and no evidence of fuel was found around the accident site. Examination of the airplane, engine, and systems revealed no evidence of any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

Analysis of the pilot's blood and urine samples revealed that he had a blood alcohol level of 0.075% 3 hours after the accident. Based on the elimination rate of alcohol from the system, his blood alcohol level would have been between about 0.11% and 0.13% at the time of the accident, which would have impaired his decision-making abilities and psychomotor performance. Marijuana was detected in urine; however, confirmation testing was not performed, so the investigation was unable to determine if the pilot's use of marijuana before the flight enhanced his impairment or contributed to the accident. It is likely that alcohol ingestion impaired the pilot's decision-making abilities and led to his taking off and flying the airplane until the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN16LA004 for the full record.