Cessna 172H N8226L

Summary

On 24 July 2003 at about 16:10 local time, a Cessna 172H registered N8226L was involved in an accident near Red Wing, Minnesota, United States. One person was 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

24 July 2003 at 16:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Red Wing, Minnesota, United States

Nearest airport

Red Wing Muni (RGK)

Coordinates

44.5894, -92.4850

Aircraft

Cessna 172H

Registration

N8226L

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Red Wing → Red Wing

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI03LA223

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to follow the checklist resulting in fuel starvation and subsequent loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane sustained substantial damage on impact with a localizer antenna and terrain during a forced landing following an in-flight loss of engine power on initial climb. An examination of the wreckage revealed that the fuel selector valve handle was set to the right fuel tank. The right fuel tank was empty. The left fuel tank contained about five gallons of fuel. There was no sign of a fuel spill at the scene. The engine produced a thumb compression at all cylinders. Both magnetos sparked. Removed spark plugs exhibited a light gray color. The engine was not test run. The student pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions during the flight. A checklist from the airplane stated, "BEFORE TAKE OFF ... Fuel Selector Valve Handle - BOTH."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.