Cessna 172N N4874G
3 November 2004 · Columbia, South Carolina, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 3 November 2004 at about 00:41 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N4874G was involved in an accident near Columbia, South Carolina, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously 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 00:41
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Columbia, South Carolina, United States
- Nearest airport
- Columbia Metropolitan Airport (KCAE)
- Coordinates
- 33.9425, -81.1214
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N
- Registration
- N4874G
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Chapel Hill → Columbia
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night
- NTSB number
- ATL05CA019
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning of fuel required for the flight, which resulted in fuel exhaustion 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 pilot declared a "mayday" 17 miles northeast of Columbia Metropolitan Airport, at 4,500 feet and stated that his engine had lost power and that he was going to land in a parking lot. The airplane collided with power lines and the ground. The post-accident examination of the fuel system revealed no fuel in either wing fuel tank, trace amounts of fuel in the fuel strainer, and trace amounts of fuel in the fuel line from the fuel strainer to the carburetor. A functional check of the engine was accomplished and it produced power at idle and 1000 RPM. The airplane was last topped off with fuel on October 31, 2004, and had flown 4.1 hours since that refueling. On the same day of the accident the pilot also completed a total of three takeoffs on the same fuel load. At 75 % engine power, the airplane has an endurance of 3.9 hours.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 172 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Jul 2004 | Cessna 172 | Algarrobo, Chile | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 6 Sep 2004 | Cessna 172S | Mount Gilead, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Mar 2004 | Cessna 172N | Creswell, Oregon, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Mar 2004 | Cessna 172P | Zelienople, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Sep 2004 | Cessna 172S | Willits, California, United States | Edward A. Warburton | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Jan 2004 | Cessna 172P | Granada Hills, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
All 12,209 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Dec 2004 | Diamond DA40-180 | Pelzer, South Carolina, United States | Harry Moore | Fatal | 3 |
| 25 Oct 2004 | Beechcraft BE-P35 | Aiken, South Carolina, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Oct 2004 | North American HARVARD II T-6 | Leesville, South Carolina, United States | T-6 LLC | Fatal | 2 |
| 2 Apr 2004 | Cessna 172N | Columbia, South Carolina, United States | Avion Air Academy | No injuries | - |
| 5 Apr 2004 | Smith AEROSTAR 601P | Johns Island, South Carolina, United States | Paul C. Evans (president Aero Dreams, LLC) | Fatal | 2 |
| 7 Feb 2004 | Piper PA-28-161 | Summerville, South Carolina, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |