Aviation Crash Map

Cessna 172N N271EP

2 April 2004 · Columbia, South Carolina, United States · No injuries

Summary

On 2 April 2004 at about 20:50 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N271EP, operated by Avion Air Academy, was involved in an accident near Columbia, South Carolina, 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.

The record

Date
at 20:50
Classification
Accident
Location
Columbia, South Carolina, United States
Nearest airport
Columbia Metropolitan (KCAE)
Coordinates
33.9425, -81.1214
Aircraft
Cessna 172N
Registration
N271EP
Category
Airplane
Engines
1
Operator
Avion Air Academy
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Orlando Sanford → Columbia Metro
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
ATL04LA088

People

Nobody was injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
1 0 0 0 1

Probable cause

The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision, which resulted in fuel exhaustion. The pilot's preflight planning and uneven terrain were contributing factors.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While on visual approach to the airport, the engine sputtered then lost power. The pilot's attempts to restore engine power were not successful. The pilot maneuvered the airplane to avoid trees, and it touched down on a grass fairway and nosed over. Examination of the airplane revealed 18 ounces of fuel was recovered from the right wing tank, and no fuel was recovered from the left wing tank. Four ounces of fuel was recovered from the fuel supply line to the carburetor, and the carburetor bowl contained no fuel. No evidence of fuel system leakage or defects were observed. Examination of the engine revealed no evidence of malfunction. Per STC SA4428SW, the airplane was equipped with a Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180-horsepower engine. The airplane accumulated 3.7 hours on the hobbs meter during the flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

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2 Sep 2004 Cessna 172S
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All 12,209 records for this type

Other accidents in this area

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
9 Dec 2004 Diamond DA40-180
N42SE
Pelzer, South Carolina, United States Harry Moore Fatal 3
25 Oct 2004 Beechcraft BE-P35
N32AB
Aiken, South Carolina, United States - Fatal 1
23 Oct 2004 North American HARVARD II T-6
N92871
Leesville, South Carolina, United States T-6 LLC Fatal 2
5 Apr 2004 Smith AEROSTAR 601P
N869CC
Johns Island, South Carolina, United States Paul C. Evans (president Aero Dreams, LLC) Fatal 2
7 Feb 2004 Piper PA-28-161
N21266
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12 Apr 2004 Cessna 182S
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All 170,864 records in United States