Cessna 172M N901NS

Summary

On 13 September 2005 at about 20:12 local time, a Cessna 172M registered N901NS, operated by Northern States Aviation, was involved in an accident near Ocean Springs, Mississippi, 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.

Date

13 September 2005 at 20:12

Classification

Accident

Location

Ocean Springs, Mississippi, United States

Coordinates

30.3900, -88.7533

Aircraft

Cessna 172M

Registration

N901NS

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Northern States Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Milton → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA05LA155

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's mismanagement of available fuel and continued operation with the fuel selector set to the left tank position, which resulted in fuel starvation 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 stated that he had no recollection of the accident. Another pilot/witness stated that he was also a contract pilot working for the same survey company, and he had been conversing with the accident pilot while conducting aerial surveys in his airplane at the time. The witness said he observed events and heard radio communications during and after the accident. The witness said he heard the accident pilot say that his airplane's engine started running rough, and about 20 seconds later he heard a "mayday" call on the radio, and that the accident pilot said that his airplane's engine had ceased operating, and he was going down. He said he first saw the accident airplane when it was at an altitude of about 800 feet, and he saw the pilot divert to an open field and set up for a left downwind. The witness said he then saw the pilot "crank" the airplane around in a tight turn to avoid power lines. According to the witness, the airplane hit the ground in a left spin, nose down, and came to an abrupt stop. According to an FAA inspector, shortly after the accident occurred the accident airplane was defueled to prevent a safety hazard, and about 10 to 15 gallons of fuel was removed from the right wing. No fuel was found in the left wing. The inspector further stated that the fuel selector had been set to the left tank position, and there was no evidence of significant fuel spillage at the scene. In addition, technical representatives from Cessna Aircraft Company, and Textron Lycoming Engines, performed detailed examinations on the airplane and its systems under the oversight of an FAA inspector, and the investigation confirmed that the fuel selector valve had been set to the left position. No other preaccident anomalies were noted to exist with the airplane or any of its systems

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.