Cessna 175 N7148M

Summary

On 18 March 2005 at about 23:53 local time, a Cessna 175 registered N7148M was involved in an accident near Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 March 2005 at 23:53

Classification

Accident

Location

Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

Coordinates

35.2139, -80.9431

Aircraft

Cessna 175

Registration

N7148M

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Charlotte → Charlotte

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ATL05CA063

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to follow the checklist by his failure to verify the fuel selector was in the on position which resulted in fuel starvation and the 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 stated that he departed Charlotte Douglas international Airport and climbed to 2,000 feet. The engine sputtered and lost power. He pulled the carburetor heat out, checked the magnetos, mixture full rich, and verified with his hand that the fuel selector was on both. He made a left turn back towards the airport and declared an emergency. The pilot made an emergency landing to a parking lot. The airplane collided with a curb, nosed over against a boulder, and a private automobile. The pilot stated that his mechanic changed the oil in his airplane before the first flight of the day. The mechanic informed the pilot that he had moved the fuel selector to the off position. The pilot stated he did not check the fuel selector valve during his preflight nor did he visually check it when the engine quit.. The pilot reported he did not verify the fuel selector valve position which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion." On scene examination of the fuel selector valve by the FAA revealed the fuel selector valve was in the off position and no anomalies were noted with the fuel selector valve. Review of the Cessna 175 Owner's Manual states in Figure 10. Exterior Inspection Diagram, "1. b. Turn off master switch, check ignition switch for "OFF" position, check tank selector on "BOTH." The Owner's Manual further sates on page 2-4, "BEFORE LANDING. (1) Set fuel selector to "both tanks."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.