Cessna 172M N172HA

Summary

On 19 September 2012 at about 17:30 local time, a Cessna 172M registered N172HA was involved in an accident near Quitman, 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

19 September 2012 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Quitman, Mississippi, United States

Coordinates

32.0400, -88.7281

Aircraft

Cessna 172M

Registration

N172HA

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Brewton → Brewton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12CA568

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s improper preflight inspection, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After flying for about 3 hours on a routine pipeline patrol flight at 1,500 feet above ground level, the engine “sputtered,” then ceased producing power. The pilot attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful and prepared for an emergency landing in a farm field below. The pilot was unable to recall the events that subsequently transpired, but a postaccident examination of the airplane showed that the left main landing gear collapsed during the landing, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing and engine firewall. Additionally, the fuel system remained intact and both fuel tanks were absent of fuel. About 1/2 pint of fuel was recovered from the fuel strainer, carburetor supply fuel line, and the carburetor float bowl. Following the accident, the pilot stated that he did not check the fuel level prior to departing on the accident flight and that the accident could have been prevented by performing a proper preflight inspection of the airplane using the published procedure in the pilot’s operating handbook.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.