ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 175848
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| Date: | Sunday 21 March 2004 |
| Time: | 09:45 |
| Type: |  Cessna 172N |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N739HQ |
| MSN: | 17270559 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1978 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2230 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-360-A4M |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Creswell, OR -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Creswell, OR (77S) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
At the completion of the flight immediately prior to the accident flight the pilot changed his habit pattern of 29 years and moved the fuel selector to the OFF position. The aircraft was equipped with a floor mounted fuel selector with 4 positions (OFF-LEFT-BOTH-RIGHT starting at the 6 o'clock position and moving counterclockwise respectively). Eight days later he took the plane out and relying only on tactile information ascertained the fuel selector in a fore-aft position assuming it was in the BOTH setting. The pilot physically but not visually verified the fuel selector in this position twice before taking off. Immediately after takeoff the engine stopped operating. A forced landing was accomplished during which the aircraft impacted a fence and a tree. The pilot reported that following the forced landing he placed the fuel selector in the OFF position. When the FAA inspector checked the aircraft following the accident he found the fuel selector in the "BOTH" position (12 o'clock position) as opposed to the "OFF" position (6 o'clock position).
Probable Cause: The pilot's attempting takeoff with the fuel selector in the OFF position resulting in fuel starvation. Contributing factors were the change in habit pattern and expectancy of the fuel selector position as well as the fence and tree.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20040324X00359&key=1
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 02-May-2015 13:05 | Noro | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:30 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 07-Dec-2017 17:48 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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