Cessna 177 N30703

Summary

On 8 November 2016 at about 19:15 local time, a Cessna 177 registered N30703 was involved in an accident near Hopkinton, Rhode Island, United States. One person was 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

8 November 2016 at 19:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Hopkinton, Rhode Island, United States

Coordinates

41.5372, -71.7586

Aircraft

Cessna 177

Registration

N30703

Category

Airplane

Year built

1969

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Willimantic → West Kingston

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA17LA040

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to accurately determine the airplane's fuel quantity before the flight, 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

The private pilot planned to fly the airplane to another airport to purchase fuel. Before departing, he used a wooden stick to estimate the airplane's fuel level. While en route, the engine abruptly lost power. The pilot was unable to restart the engine and executed a forced landing to a field; the airplane struck trees, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. Postaccident examination of the accident site, the airplane's fuel tanks, and components of the airplane's fuel system revealed only trace quantities of fuel. Thus, it is likely that the pilot overestimated the airplane's fuel quantity before departing on the flight and that the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.