ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 234766
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Saturday 4 April 2020 |
| Time: | 18:00 LT |
| Type: |  Cessna 177RG Cardinal RG |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N98SW |
| MSN: | 177RG1090 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1976 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 6526 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-360-A1B6D |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Santa Paula Airport (SZP/KSZP), Santa Paula, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Santa Paula Airport, CA (SZP) |
| Santa Paula Airport, CA (SZP) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot planned to fly in the airport traffic pattern for about 30 minutes to maintain currency in his airplane, which he had not flown or refueled in several months. He used the fuel gauges to determine his fuel quantity, which he estimated to be about 10 gallons. The pilot did not look inside the fuel tanks to verify the fuel quantity; however, he did sump the tanks, which took three attempts before he observed water-free fuel samples. He did not observe any anomalies during the engine runup, after takeoff, or during the first three rounds in the airport traffic pattern. During the initial climb following his fourth touch-and-go maneuver, the pilot experienced a total loss of engine power at 100 ft above ground level. The pilot was unable to restore engine power during the descent, and the airplane impacted a dry riverbed and came to rest upright. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the stabilator.
The fuel tanks were not breached, there were no obstructions in the fuel strainer, and no evidence of water contamination in the fuel system. About 2 gallons of fuel was recovered from the right wing tank, and the left wing tank was empty. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed no evidence of a preexisting malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation, and a test run of the engine revealed no anomalies.
The pilot did not check the fuel tanks before the flight to validate the fuel quantity indicated by the fuel gauges. As one fuel tank was devoid of fuel and the other fuel tank was nearly empty, he likely departed with an insufficient fuel level for the short flight.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to ensure adequate fuel onboard for the planned flight, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB WPR20LA117
FAA register: https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N98SW
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 05-Apr-2020 04:20 | Geno | Added |
| 07-Apr-2020 14:20 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 07-Apr-2020 14:24 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 20-Jun-2021 18:03 | aaronwk | Updated [Time, Phase, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Jul-2022 13:38 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation