Cessna 172 N3984L

Summary

On 1 November 2018 at about 19:00 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N3984L was involved in an accident near Cleburne, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 November 2018 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Cleburne, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Cleburne Rgnl (CPT)

Coordinates

32.3558, -97.4317

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N3984L

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mineral Wells → Cleburne

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA19CA048

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's improper preflight fuel planning and in-flight fuel management, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the subsequent total 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 reported that, during the final approach to the destination airport, the engine lost power. Due to homes that were in line with the approach end of the runway, he decided to perform an emergency landing in a field, during which the airplane slid and then came to rest in trees. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that he had not considered the engine's fuel burn for touch-and-go landings or headwinds during his preflight planning. During postaccident examination, a Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported that the fuel gauges read zero and that no fuel was found in the right fuel tank and only 10 ounces of fuel were found in the left fuel tank. Fuel was added to the airplane, and the engine started and operated normally. He added that he talked to the pilot, and he stated that he had flown 3.6 hours and performed at least six touch-and-go landings. The pilot also stated that the airplane usually has a 3.5-hour maximum range at 1,000 ft above ground level at 8 to 9 gallons per hour and that he likely did not properly monitor the engine's fuel consumption, which led to fuel exhaustion. Given the evidence, it is likely the pilot did not ensure that there was sufficient fuel onboard the airplane for the flight and that he did not monitor it properly during the flight, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the subsequent total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.