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A C150 pilot failed to inspect the oil level and cap security prior to flight and discovered the cap open and much of the oil missing upon completion of his flight.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 945404 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201104 |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601-1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Cessna 150 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Route In Use | Vectors |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Oil Filler Cap |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Single Pilot |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Commercial Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Multiengine |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 25 Flight Crew Total 380 Flight Crew Type 80 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor |
Narrative:
I was climbing through approximately 1;200 ft MSL when I noticed a faint smell similar to heat. I checked all engine instrumentation and looked everywhere I could to see if there were any anomalies but found none. I got ATIS and contacted approach but did not get a response due to frequency congestion. I circled outside of the class C airspace further attempting to contact approach but to no avail. I then decided to fly west toward another airport so I would be in the corridor for another approach frequency into my destination. Enroute I noticed a small misting of oil in the bottom right corner of the windscreen; again; I checked all available information in the aircraft to see if there were any engine abnormalities and could fine none. I finally got a response from the congested approach controller and got cleared into the airspace and to land on the right runway without any further difficulties. Upon taxiing back in and parking; I walked to the right hand side of the aircraft and saw the whole side of the aircraft covered in oil. I then realized that I had forgotten to check the oil before taking off and that; apparently; the pilots flying the aircraft prior to me either did not secure the dipstick sufficiently or intentionally left it open prior to my flight.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A C150 pilot failed to inspect the oil level and cap security prior to flight and discovered the cap open and much of the oil missing upon completion of his flight.
Narrative: I was climbing through approximately 1;200 FT MSL when I noticed a faint smell similar to heat. I checked all engine instrumentation and looked everywhere I could to see if there were any anomalies but found none. I got ATIS and contacted Approach but did not get a response due to frequency congestion. I circled outside of the Class C Airspace further attempting to contact Approach but to no avail. I then decided to fly west toward another airport so I would be in the corridor for another Approach frequency into my destination. Enroute I noticed a small misting of oil in the bottom right corner of the windscreen; again; I checked all available information in the aircraft to see if there were any engine abnormalities and could fine none. I finally got a response from the congested Approach Controller and got cleared into the airspace and to land on the right runway without any further difficulties. Upon taxiing back in and parking; I walked to the right hand side of the aircraft and saw the whole side of the aircraft covered in oil. I then realized that I had forgotten to check the oil before taking off and that; apparently; the pilots flying the aircraft prior to me either did not secure the dipstick sufficiently or intentionally left it open prior to my flight.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.