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| NTSB Identification: IAD01LA037. |
| Accident occurred Wednesday, March 14, 2001 at Huntington, WV |
| Aircraft: Cessna 150, registration: N6584F |
| Injuries: 1 Minor |
| Event: 20010327X00651 Status: Preliminary |
| NTSB Preliminary Narrative (6120.19A) |
| On March 14, 2001, about 1120 Eastern Standard Time, a Cessna 150, N6584F, was substantially damaged during a forced landing to a river in |
| Huntington, West Virginia. The certificated private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed |
| for the ferry flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. |
| According to the pilot, he purchased the airplane in January, and it was overdue for an annual inspection. He was issued a ferry permit by the |
| Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), to fly the airplane from the Lawrence County Airpark (HTW), Huntington, West Virginia, to the Ona Airpark |
| (12V), Milton, West Virginia, to receive an annual inspection. |
| Before his departure from HTW, the pilot performed a thorough preflight inspection. He reported draining water out of the fuel drains, "until the |
| fuel was clear." The pilot performed a run-up inspection and "everything looked good." He then taxied to Runway 26 and departed the airport. |
| About 3 to 4 miles from HTW, at an altitude of 1,900 feet, the engine started "sputtering" and the pilot immediately turned the airplane back toward |
| HTW. Upon completion of the turn, the engine lost power and the pilot attempted to restart it several times. When he determined that he would |
| not make it back to the airport, he turned the airplane toward the shore of a river, and prepared for a forced landing. The pilot estimated that the |
| airplane impacted the water about 50 to 60 knots, and sank immediately. He was able to egress from the airplane and swam to the shore. |
| The pilot reported that the airplane had not be refueled since he purchased it in January. He stated that during the preflight inspection, he |
| observed about 8 gallons of fuel in the right fuel tank, and 6 gallons of fuel in the left fuel tank. |
| According to a mechanic who worked at HTW, the pilot requested his assistance in obtaining a ferry permit to fly the airplane to 12V to receive |
| an annual inspection. The mechanic explained the process of obtaining the permit to the pilot, and agreed to prepare the airplane for the ferry |
| flight. The mechanic examined the airplane on March 12, 2001, and observed a "significant amount of water" in the fuel samples he drained. |
| The first sample he drained from both fuel tanks, filled the fuel strainer with water. The mechanic took about 3 to 4 more samples in each fuel |
| tank, of which the fuel strainer contained about 3/4 of an inch of water each time. After all the water appeared to be drained from the fuel |
| system, the mechanic ran the engine for 20 to 30 minutes on the ground, and reported no abnormalities. On March 13, 2001, the mechanic |
| received the ferry flight permit from the FAA. He drained the fuel tanks again, and the fuel was absent of any contamination or water. The |
| mechanic then called the pilot and explained that he had obtained the ferry permit, and had observed a significant amount of water in the fuel |
| system. The mechanic reported that the pilot planned to fly the airplane to 12V the next morning, to receive an annual inspection. |
| Additionally, the mechanic reported that the airplane had not been flown for at least 3 months and the fuel filler necks had rusted. He also stated |
| that it had rained continuously throughout the night previous to the accident flight. |
| A search for the airplane was conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers and the US Coast Guard; however, as of March 23, 2001, the |
| airplane had not been located. |
| Occurrences and Sequence of Events |
| No Occurrence records were found for: |
| NTSB Identification: IAD01LA037 |
| Event ID: 20010327X00651 |
| Aircraft Key: 1 |
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