Cessna 172F N7774A

Summary

On 13 September 2025 at about 05:01 local time, a Cessna 172F registered N7774A was involved in an accident near Lancaster, Texas, 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

13 September 2025 at 05:01

Classification

Accident

Location

Lancaster, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Lancaster Rgnl (LNC)

Coordinates

32.5874, -96.7265

Aircraft

Cessna 172F

Registration

N7774A

Category

Airplane

Year built

1964

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Manila → Lancaster

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CEN25LA377

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inadequate fuel planning and failure to monitor the fuel consumption 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 intended to complete a 4-hour night flight while following a company multi-engine airplane. Before departure, the airplane was serviced with about 18 gallons of fuel; the main fuel tanks were full (36 gallons usable), and the auxiliary fuel tank was empty. The pilot thought that the airplane contained 53 gallons of usable fuel, even though the auxiliary tank was empty. During final approach to the destination airport the engine lost total power, and the pilot made a forced landing into the airport perimeter fence. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel tanks remained intact and undamaged. A few ounces of fuel were found in the left main tank, and the right main and auxiliary tanks were empty.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.