ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 165668
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| Date: | Monday 21 April 2014 |
| Time: | 20:20 |
| Type: |  Cessna 172I Skyhawk |
| Owner/operator: | Redstone Arsenal Flying Activity, BLDG 4828 |
| Registration: | N35553 |
| MSN: | 17256830 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1968 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 10314 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-320 SERIES |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Huntsville Int'l Airport-Carl T Jones Field (KHSV), Huntsville, Alabam -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Enterprise, AL (EDN) |
| Huntsville, AL (HSV) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot departed on the two-hour flight with the fuel quantity gauge of each fuel tank indicating about half full, but did not otherwise verify the quantity of fuel present in the tanks prior to the flight. Approximately 20 minutes from the destination airport, the left fuel tank gauge indicated between empty and one-quarter full, and the right tank gauge indicated one-quarter full. On the downwind leg of the airport traffic pattern, the engine began to "sputter" and experienced a total loss of power. The pilot moved the fuel selector to the right tank, but engine power was not restored. The pilot subsequently conducted a forced landing to the grass short of the runway, and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted, resulting in substantial damage to the engine firewall. Postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the left fuel tank contained no fuel, and the right tank contained approximately one half of a pint of fuel. The tanks were not damaged during the accident sequence, and there was no evidence of fuel spillage at the scene. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause: The pilot's improper fuel planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a total loss of engine power.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N35553
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=35553
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 22-Apr-2014 04:04 | spoorweg | Added |
| 22-Apr-2014 04:44 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 22-Apr-2014 04:48 | Geno | Updated [Operator, Location, Source] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 29-Nov-2017 14:02 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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