Cessna 172 N127EP

Summary

On 3 May 2025 at about 15:29 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N127EP was involved in an accident near Hastings, Florida, 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

3 May 2025 at 15:29

Classification

Accident

Location

Hastings, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Earle Airpark (13FA)

Coordinates

29.7073, -81.5044

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N127EP

Category

Airplane

Year built

1985

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA25LA194

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in a 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 planned to perform a 15-minute-long local flight in the airport traffic pattern. During his preflight inspection, he visually checked the fuel quantity in both the left and right tanks, observing there was fuel inside that appeared to be an adequate amount. He did not measure or otherwise quantify the amount of fuel but did see that the fuel quantity gauges in the cockpit indicated 10 gallons. Shortly after departure, during the climbing left turn to crosswind, the engine stopped producing power. He turned back toward the airport and attempted to land on the runway, but there was a tailwind, and the airplane was too fast and high above the ground to safely land so he attempted a forced landing in a mature cabbage field. The airplane’s nose landing gear subsequently collapsed, and the resulting impact resulted in substantial damage to the airplane’s fuselage and right wing. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that both of the intact fuel tanks were absent of fuel, and when the electrical system was turned on, the fuel quantity gauges in the cockpit indicated 1/8 and 1/4-full for the left and right tank respectively. Following the accident, the pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and stated that the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion. He further stated that the fuel in the tanks looked like it was deeper than it was due to an optical illusion.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.