Fuel exhaustion Accident Cessna 172M Skyhawk C-FDGH,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 87158
 
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Date:Friday 1 June 2001
Time:13:15
Type:Silhouette image of generic C172 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Cessna 172M Skyhawk
Owner/operator:Private
Registration: C-FDGH
MSN: 17260775
Year of manufacture:1972
Engine model:Avco Lycoming O-320-E2D
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:Near Pocatello, Idaho -   United States of America
Phase: En route
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Great Falls International Airport, MT (GTF/KGTF)
Destination airport:Pocatello Airport, ID (PIH/KPIH)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
The pilot departed Edmonton, Canada, with his passenger in the Cessna 172M, with 48 gallons of usable fuel aboard. The trip included 2 stops before terminating at the end of the first day having flown 3 hours and 34 minutes. The pilot added 12 gallons of fuel at his stopover. The following day he and his passenger departed on the next leg of the trip (Great Falls, MT, to Pocatello, ID). The engine quit after not less than 6 hours 51 minutes of operation on a total of 60 gallons of usable fuel. On site examination revealed no evidence of fuel in either fuel tank or spilled/leaked at the site, and only 4.5 ounces of fuel were retrieved from fuel lines. The landing site was characterized by soft furrows in a field and the furrows were observed to change direction (from parallel) during the ground roll of the aircraft. The pilot reported in a written statement that "...The pilot had thoughts of landing at Idaho Falls but decided to fly as flight planned...!"

Probable Cause: The pilot's inadequate in-flight decision by failing to refuel while en route, resulting in fuel exhaustion and the loss of engine power.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: SEA01LA110
Status: Investigation completed
Duration:
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20010608X01131&key=1

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
01-Jan-2011 15:56 slowkid Added
10-Dec-2017 11:25 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Cn, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
09-Aug-2023 16:37 harro Updated [[Time, Cn, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]]

Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description

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