Summary
On November 01, 2018, a Cessna 172 (N3984L) was involved in an accident near Cleburne, TX. The accident resulted in 1 minor injury. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: The pilot's improper preflight fuel planning and in-flight fuel management, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the subsequent total loss of engine power.
The newly certificated pilot reported that during a cross country flight, he hadn't considered the engine's fuel burn for touch and goes or headwinds, and during the final approach to the destination airport, the engine lost power. Due to homes that were in line with the approach end of the runway, instead of continuing to the runway, he decided to perform an emergency landing in a field. During the off-airport landing, the airplane "slid" and came to rest in trees.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing.
During the post-accident examination, a Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported that, the fuel gauges read zero, and that there was no fuel in the right fuel tank and only 10 ounces were recovered from the left fuel tank.
This accident is documented in NTSB report GAA19CA048. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N3984L.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's improper preflight fuel planning and in-flight fuel management, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the subsequent total loss of engine power.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
The newly certificated pilot reported that during a cross country flight, he hadn't considered the engine's fuel burn for touch and goes or headwinds, and during the final approach to the destination airport, the engine lost power. Due to homes that were in line with the approach end of the runway, instead of continuing to the runway, he decided to perform an emergency landing in a field. During the off-airport landing, the airplane "slid" and came to rest in trees.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing.
During the post-accident examination, a Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported that, the fuel gauges read zero, and that there was no fuel in the right fuel tank and only 10 ounces were recovered from the left fuel tank. Additional fuel was added to the airplane and the engine started and operated normally. He added that, after speaking to the pilot, the pilot "basically admitted" that he did not properly monitor the engine's fuel consumption.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# GAA19CA048