Accident Sequence
Approximately 5 miles west of the destination airport, the airplane experienced a loss of engine power. The pilot subsequently landed the airplane in a field. During the landing roll, the left wing struck a concrete pump house.
Fuel Examination
An FAA inspector on the scene examined the fuel tanks and reported finding no fuel in the right wing tank and about a cup of fuel in the left wing tank.
Pilot and Operator Statements
The pilot stated that he thought the aircraft was full of fuel when he began the flight and that he had made a visual check of the fuel in the tanks during his preflight. The operator of the airplane reported that the airplane had been topped off the day before the accident and then flown for 0.7 hours. The airplane was not refueled after that flight. The accident flight lasted 4.1 hours.
Aircraft Performance Reference
The operating handbook for the Cessna 172H indicates that at a cruising altitude of 5,000 feet and an engine power setting of 2,500 RPM, a Cessna 172H has an endurance of 4.8 hours.