ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 297510
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| Date: | Thursday 14 March 2002 |
| Time: | 19:23 LT |
| Type: |  Cessna 177B |
| Owner/operator: | Skycomber, Inc. |
| Registration: | N11487 |
| MSN: | 17702341 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5444 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-360-A1F6D |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | SANTA CLARITA, California -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | CALIFORNIA CITY, CA (L71 |
| Los Angeles-Whiteman Airport, CA (WHP/KWHP) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot made an off airport landing on a highway at night following a total loss of engine power. He had flown the airplane the day before for about 2 hours, and had visually verified full fuel before that flight. He estimated that he had over 2 hours of fuel remaining in the tanks. He experienced no difficulties with the airplane or engine during the first leg of his flight, which lasted about 30 minutes. During the return flight, he had the fuel selector valve on the "BOTH" position. He began his descent from cruise altitude of 6,000 feet. The engine began to sputter and lose power, but continued to run for about 4 minutes. He tried operating of the left and right tanks individually, but the engine remained at reduced power. He alternated the magnetos between the left, right, and both positions. The engine did not respond and eventually quit. He declared an emergency on frequency 121.5; he circled and looked for a landing spot, but it was too dark. He thought Interstate 5 was too busy, so he elected to land on a side road. His wing collided with a light pole and the airplane veered into a fence. Both wings separated from the airplane and the fuselage ripped open. A deputy, who arrived on scene within 5 minutes of the accident, did not smell fuel, observe any puddles of fuel on the ground, or see any fuel stains on the pole. The left wing tank ruptured, but the right wing tank did not. The deputy did not observe any fuel in the right tank.
Probable Cause: The pilot performed inadequate planning and inaccurate fuel computations, and intiated flight without refueling. This resulted in a forced landing on a road at night due to fuel exhaustion.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX02LA107
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 14-Oct-2022 19:26 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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