Cessna A185F N8702Z

Summary

On 7 February 2004 at about 19:00 local time, a Cessna A185F registered N8702Z was involved in an accident near Fowler, California, 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

7 February 2004 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Fowler, California, United States

Coordinates

36.6239, -119.6833

Aircraft

Cessna A185F

Registration

N8702Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sunset Sky Ranc → Visalia

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX04CA117

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and loss of engine power due to an inadequate fuel supply. A factor in the accident was the pilot's lack of familiarity with the airplane.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane made an off airport landing in a field following a total loss of engine power. While in cruise flight, about 25 miles north of the pilot's planned destination, the engine lost power. He switched the fuel selector to the left position, but the engine would not restart. After clearing several power lines, he made a forced landing in a sandy, dirt field. On the landing rollout, more than halfway across the field, he applied brake pressure and the wheels dug into the soft terrain. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The pilot had recently bought the airplane and had only accumulated about 2-3 hours in it. He thought that the accident was the result of fuel exhaustion, and noted that he did not use the electric boost pump while attempting a restart due to his lack of familiarity with the airplane. Four gallons were drained from the fuel system after the accident. According to the FAA approved flight manual for the airplane, the fuel system total capacity is 80 gallons, with 6 gallons unusable. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.