On June 28, 1988, a Cessna 177B (registration N35181) operated by Boyd L. Strissel was involved in an aviation accident near Elko, NV. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to monitor fuel quantity due to inoperative fuel gauges and clock, which led to fuel exhaustion. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot executing the initial leg of a cross-country flight in a recently purchased aircraft was forced to land prematurely after fuel exhaustion, despite prior endurance calculations verified by an instructor.
What happened
The pilot had recently acquired the aircraft and commenced the initial leg of a cross-country flight. Prior to departure, the pilot calculated an estimated endurance of 4.9 hours for the journey. This calculation was reviewed and deemed adequate for the proposed flight plan by a certified flight instructor (CFI).
After flying for 4.2 hours of tachometer time, the aircraft experienced fuel exhaustion. Consequently, the pilot executed a forced landing approximately 21 miles short of the intended destination.
The investigation
An examination of the aircraft revealed that both the fuel gauges and the clock were inoperative at the time of the incident. These instrument failures prevented the pilot from accurately monitoring fuel quantity and elapsed flight time during the cruise portion of the flight.
Findings
The primary factors contributing to this accident included:
The inoperative state of the aircraft's fuel gauges.
The inoperative state of the aircraft's clock.
fuel exhaustion resulting from the inability to accurately track fuel consumption and time en route.
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to monitor fuel quantity due to inoperative fuel gauges and clock, which led to fuel exhaustion.