Fuel exhaustion Accident Cessna 177B N30955,
ASN logo
ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 387355
 
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 2 September 2000
Time:13:59 LT
Type:Silhouette image of generic C177 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Cessna 177B
Owner/operator:Private
Registration: N30955
MSN: 17701565
Total airframe hrs:1518 hours
Engine model:Lycoming O-360-A1F6
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:Hinkley, CA -   United States of America
Phase: En route
Nature:Ferry/positioning
Departure airport:Palm Springs, CA (PSP
Destination airport:Yucca Valley, CA (L22
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
The purpose of the flight was to ferry the airplane to another airport, approximately 20 minutes away, for repairs. The airplane departed the first airport at 0930 the day of the accident, and traveled to the accident site approximately 76 sm away. At 1400, the sheriff's department was notified of an airplane accident and subsequently responded to the location. When the deputy interviewed the pilot, he stated that he had been flying for 2 1/2 hours and was confused as to where he was and how he had gotten there. The pilot reported that he made a forced landing when he noted that his fuel tank gage read empty. He landed on a dirt road and on the landing rollout struck a berm, became airborne again, and came to rest on the main landing gear after colliding with an obstruction. Retrieval personnel reported that they recovered 2 gallons of fuel per wing. According to the aircraft manufacturer, the airplane has a total fuel capacity of 50 gallons; usable fuel is 24.5 gallons in each fuel tank, and .5 gallons of fuel in each fuel tank is unusable. Fuel burn at 2,300-2,400 rpm's was approximately 10 gallons per hour with endurance of about 4.9 hours of flight time. The accident was reported about 1 month later after the airplane was established to have substantial damage.

Probable Cause: Loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion when the pilot became lost and disoriented.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: LAX00LA356
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 1 year and 2 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB LAX00LA356

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
03-May-2024 08:04 ASN Update Bot Added

Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description

The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:

CONNECT WITH US: FSF on social media FSF Facebook FSF Twitter FSF Youtube FSF LinkedIn FSF Instagram

©2024 Flight Safety Foundation

1920 Ballenger Av, 4th Fl.
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
www.FlightSafety.org