Cessna 172H N3910R

Summary

On 1 June 2008 at about 16:03 local time, a Cessna 172H registered N3910R, operated by Merritt Aire LLC, was involved in an accident near Brockport, New York, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 June 2008 at 16:03

Classification

Accident

Location

Brockport, New York, United States

Coordinates

43.1811, -77.9156

Aircraft

Cessna 172H

Registration

N3910R

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Merritt Aire LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Batavia → Brockport

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

NTSB number

NYC08LA199

2 people were seriously injured.

A total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the flight instructor's inadequate preflight planning.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot performed a preflight inspection on the airplane prior to the instructional flight and observed 6 gallons of fuel in each fuel tank. The flight instructor and student then departed and flew to another airport to practice touch-and-go landings. After flying for approximately 1 hour during the return flight, the engine started to "shake" and then lost power. The flight instructor performed a forced landing to a field, during which the airplane impacted trees. Examination of the airplane revealed approximately 1 gallon of fuel in the right tank and 1 quart of fuel in the left tank. The fuel tanks were not compromised and there was no indication of a fuel leak in the fuel system. No fuel was observed in the fuel line from the fuel tank to the fuel strainer. Prior to the accident flight, the airplane was flown by another pilot for 1.7 hours. The pilot who flew the previous flight departed with 18 gallons of fuel. Fuel consumption calculations performed by a representative of the manufacturer revealed that the accident flight would have consumed 8.4 gallons of fuel. The previous flight (1.7 hours in duration) would have consumed 11.5 gallons. The flight instructor did not verify the fuel quantity prior to departure, did not perform any preflight or en route fuel consumption calculations, and did not refuel the airplane at either airport.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.