Cessna 172N N5225D

Summary

On 12 November 1999 at about 18:00 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N5225D was involved in an accident near Rawlins, Wyoming, United States. 4 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 November 1999 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Rawlins, Wyoming, United States

Coordinates

41.7793, -107.2201

Aircraft

Cessna 172N

Registration

N5225D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Provo → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN00LA018

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight planning preparation which resulted in fuel exhaustion. Factors in the accident were the unsuitable terrain on which to make a forced landing and the pilot's lack of experience in aircraft type.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot said he drained 'three inches' of fuel from the fuel tanks because he would be carrying three passengers and their luggage, and he did not want to exceed the airplane's maximum gross weight of 2,550 pounds. About 2 hours 50 minutes after takeoff, 15 miles from his destination, the engine lost power and the pilot performed a forced landing to a rough field. The pilot indicated, and examination of the airplane confirmed, that fuel exhaustion was the reason the engine lost power. The pilot reported he received incorrect information about the fuel tanks that led him to believe that he had more fuel than the tanks held. He said there was only enough fuel for about 2.9 hours. The pilot reported that he thought the airplane's useable fuel was 50 gallons, not 38 gallons.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.