Cessna 177 N2872X

Summary

On 30 May 2009 at about 20:30 local time, a Cessna 177 registered N2872X was involved in an accident near Houston, Texas, 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

30 May 2009 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Houston, Texas, United States

Coordinates

30.0617, -95.5528

Aircraft

Cessna 177

Registration

N2872X

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rosharon → Tomball

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN09CA327

Nobody was injured.

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

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to a telephone conversation with the pilot, prior to departure he had "four inches of fuel on his fuel stick" which equated to eight gallons of fuel on his fuel reference chart. He intended to fly for thirty minutes. At the time of the accident the pilot estimated that he had thirty minutes or four gallons of fuel remaining. He was cleared for landing when the engine lost power. The pilot attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful. During the forced landing the airplane struck a telephone pole resulting in substantial damage to the right wing; the wing spar and ribs were bent. An examination of both fuel tanks, conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration, revealed less than a quart of fuel. Examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical anomalies. According to the fuel consumption charts located in the pilot operating handbook for a Cessna 177, the flight as planned would have required between six and eight gallons of fuel. According to the handbook, there is one gallon of unusable fuel in this airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.