ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 296858
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| Date: | Thursday 1 August 2002 |
| Time: | 13:20 LT |
| Type: |  Cessna 172K |
| Owner/operator: | Patuxent River Naval Flying Club |
| Registration: | N1177M |
| MSN: | 17258677 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1969 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3430 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-320 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Patuxent River, Maryland -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Myrtle Beach International Airport, SC (MYR/KMYR) |
| Patuxent River NAS, MD (NHK/KNHK) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Prior to his departure, the pilot performed a preflight inspection and determined the fuel onboard the airplane by observing the fuel gauges in the cockpit. The gauges indicated the fuel tanks were about 1/4 - 1/2 full, or 8 gallons of fuel per tank. The pilot stated he did not visually check the fuel tanks because he did not have a way to measure the fuel. The pilot added 20 additional gallons of fuel, for a total of 36 gallons of fuel onboard, which he estimated to be 4 1/2 hours flight time. After fueling the airplane, the fuel gauges read about 3/4 full on each tank. The pilot flew direct to his destination; however, he did not perform any fuel burn calculations en route. Approximately 3 miles from the airport, the airplane's engine lost power. The pilot checked the fuel gauges, which indicated 1/8 full on the left side and 1/4 full on the right side. He unsuccessfully attempted to restart the engine, and performed a forced landing approximately 1/2 mile short of the runway. Examination of the airplane revealed that the left wing tank was completely empty and 1/8 inch of fuel remained in the right wing tank. The airplane's fuel system was examined and no pre-impact anomalies were noted. A test run of the engine was performed on the airframe, and it started without hesitation and ran continuously through a variety of power settings. An accurate test of the fuel level transmitters and fuel gauges was unable to be performed during the initial examination, because they were removed and retained by the operator. The pilot had accumulated 124 hours of fixed-wing flight experience, 9 of which were in make and model, and 691 hours in rotorcraft.
Probable Cause: The pilot's inadequate fuel calculations, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a subsequent loss of engine power.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB IAD02LA080
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 14-Oct-2022 11:36 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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