On June 11, 1995, a Cessna 177B (registration N16081) operated by Steve Cline was involved in an aviation accident near Lebec, CA. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's lack of familiarity with the airplane's fuel sysytem and his failure to maintain an adequate supply of fuel to complete the flight. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot reported a total power loss at 8,500 feet MSL, glided toward an airport, and executed a no-flap landing in a rough field about one mile short of the runway. Fuel mismanagement was identified as a contributing factor.
Accident Details
A pilot reported a total power loss while at 8,500 feet MSL. He initiated a glide toward an airport but landed with no flaps in a rough field about 1 mile short of the runway. The pilot made a visual inspection of the fuel quantity before departure and observed the fuel level to be level with some dotted markings. He thought the dots represented full fuel.
Fuel Information
According to the operator's manual, the fuel capacity to the 'line of holes' inside the filler neck is 22 gallons. The aircraft was equipped with 50-gallon standard range tanks, with 49 gallons of usable fuel. The operator stated that no fuel was found in either tank when the aircraft was recovered from the accident site. The operator reported that the aircraft had been flown 1.6 hours before being dispatched to the pilot. The operator estimated that the pilot departed Bakersfield with 33 gallons of fuel onboard. The Hobbs meter showed the pilot had flown 2.9 hours. The operator stated that the accident aircraft burned between 10 and 12 gallons per hour. No fuel was available at Avalon Airport on Catalina Island.