Cessna 172B N6937X
16 December 1996 · Charleston, West Virginia, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 16 December 1996 at about 18:42 local time, a Cessna 172B registered N6937X, operated by Oren C. Nelson, was involved in an accident near Charleston, West Virginia, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:42
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Charleston, West Virginia, United States
- Nearest airport
- Charleston Yeager (CRW)
- Coordinates
- 38.3704, -81.5610
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172B
- Registration
- N6937X
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Oren C. Nelson
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- St Maries → Green City
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- IAD97LA033
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
improper planning/decision by the pilot, and his mismanagement of the fuel supply, which resulted in fuel exhaustion, loss of engine power, and a forced landing into wooded terrain.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot made a forced landing into wooded terrain after the engine lost power. Examination of the airplane revealed the fuel tanks were empty. The pilot did not provide an account of the accident after several requests; however, a witness indicated the pilot stated shortly after the accident that he had misjudged the amount of fuel in the airplane.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 172 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Mar 1996 | Cessna 172L | Napa, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Mar 1996 | Cessna 172N | New Smyrna Bch, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Aug 1996 | Cessna 172N | Enumclaw, Washington, United States | Aeroflight | Minor injuries | - |
| 7 Oct 1996 | Cessna 172C | Mesa, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jul 1996 | Cessna 172 | Frederick, Maryland, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Jul 1996 | Cessna 172M | Tremont City, Ohio, United States | MAD River Airport, Inc. | No injuries | - |
All 12,209 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Jul 1996 | Cessna 150L | Philippi, West Virginia, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 11 Mar 1996 | Piper PA-23-250 | Bridgeport, West Virginia, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 21 Sep 1996 | Cessna 172P | Richwood, West Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Apr 1996 | Bell 206L-1 | Charleston, West Virginia, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 27 Jan 1996 | Aerostar 601 | Mount Storm, West Virginia, United States | Grand Air Express | Serious injuries | - |
| 11 Aug 1996 | Cessna 172P | Summersville, West Virginia, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |