Introduction
On July 5, 2017, at 1730 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 177, registration N3225T, collided with terrain during a forced landing in Wauseon, Ohio. The airplane was substantially damaged. The certified flight instructor (CFI) and student pilot were not injured; the passenger sustained minor injuries. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an instructional flight. Visual flight rules conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
Flight Details
The airplane departed Bolton Field Airport (TZR), Columbus, Ohio, at 1615 en route to Fulton County Airport (USE), Wauseon, Ohio. The CFI reported that earlier in the day, the airplane was filled with 42 gallons of fuel. They practiced touch-and-go landings for 1 hour 15 minutes in the morning, then landed, picked up a passenger, and flew to TZR for lunch. The round-trip flight between TZR and USE was about 2 hours 30 minutes, resulting in a total flight time of about 3 hours 45 minutes.
The airplane had been originally equipped with a 115-horsepower engine, which was replaced with a 180-horsepower engine approximately 30 flight hours prior to the accident. According to engine specifications, fuel consumption at 75% power is about 11.7 gallons per hour, yielding an endurance of about 3 hours 30 minutes; at 65% power, consumption is 10.14 gallons per hour for an endurance of about 4 hours 10 minutes.
The pilot stated to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector that they departed TZR with about 15 gallons of fuel onboard, intentionally keeping a lower fuel level so a mechanic could inspect the fuel gauges.
Accident Sequence
The CFI reported that while landing at USE, they overflew the airport and entered a left downwind for runway 9. During the base leg to final approach turn, the engine lost power. The CFI took control of the airplane. With insufficient altitude to reach the runway, he landed the airplane in a corn field just short of the runway, where it contacted a ditch.
Post-Accident Examination
An FAA inspector drained 12 ounces of fuel from the airplane after the accident and noted no evidence of fuel leakage around the airplane. When battery power was applied, the left fuel gauge indicated full, and the right fuel gauge indicated empty. The fuel gascolator had a hole in the bottom of its bowl, consistent with impact damage.
No probable cause was stated in the source.