Cessna 172P N5364K

Summary

On 20 January 2004 at about 21:00 local time, a Cessna 172P registered N5364K was involved in an accident near Granada Hills, California, United States. 2 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

20 January 2004 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Granada Hills, California, United States

Nearest airport

Van Nuys Airport (KVNY)

Coordinates

34.2500, -118.5000

Aircraft

Cessna 172P

Registration

N5364K

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Oakland → Santa Ana

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX04CA098

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.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane collided with a fence during an off airport landing on a road, following a total loss of engine power. The pilot reported that he did not refuel the airplane fully prior to departure, and he bypassed a planned refueling stop while en route. The pilot descended from 7,500 feet, and the engine lost power. The fuel gauges in the cockpit indicated the left fuel tank had a little less than a 1/2 tank and the right had about 1/4 tank. He decided to go through a hole in the cloud layer in an effort to get below the cloud base. He made an emergency landing on a utility road. He thought that the accident was the result of fuel exhaustion. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.