Cessna 172 N12115

Summary

On 4 July 2022 at about 23:01 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N12115 was involved in an accident near Akron, Ohio, 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

4 July 2022 at 23:01

Classification

Accident

Location

Akron, Ohio, United States

Nearest airport

Akron Fulton Intl (AKR)

Coordinates

41.0507, -81.4415

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N12115

Category

Airplane

Year built

1973

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tunkhannock → Wadsworth

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA22LA298

2 people were seriously injured.

The pilots’ improper preflight fuel planning and in-flight fuel management, 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 pilot fueled the airplane before takeoff on the last leg of the cross-country flight. As he began the descent toward his home airport, the pilot noted that the fuel gauges were indicating lower than he had ever observed them to be. Shortly after he turned to a nearby airport to purchase additional fuel, the engine stopped producing power. During the forced landing, the airplane’s landing gear impacted trees, and the airplane descended nose-first to the ground, substantially damaging the fuselage and right wing. Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of fuel in the fuel tanks, fuel lines, or carburetor. No preimpact anomalies or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation were observed. Fuel calculations for the takeoff and cruise portions of the accident flight revealed that between about 2 and 6 gallons of fuel could have remained at the time of the accident; however, these calculations did not account for improper fuel mixture leaning or fuel used during start, taxi, and run-up. Given that the pilot did not lean the mixture during the cross-country flight, it is likely the airplane’s fuel supply had been completely exhausted, resulting in the total loss of engine power. Had appropriate preflight fuel planning and inflight fuel monitoring been performed by the pilot, the fuel exhaustion likely would have been prevented.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.