19 Sep 2024: CESSNA 172K

19 Sep 2024: CESSNA 172K (N7058G) — Unknown operator

No fatalities • Fredericksburg, VA, United States

Probable cause

The pilot’s inadequate fuel planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a subsequent total loss of engine power.

— NTSB Determination

Accident narrative

On September 19, 2024, about 1530 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172K, N7058G, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Fredericksburg, Virginia. The private pilot received minor injuries. The flight was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that the airplane had been stored in a hangar for two years awaiting an engine rebuild. After the rebuild and an annual inspection, he planned to fly the airplane back to his farm. Following a preflight inspection, the pilot attempted to start the engine but found the battery was too low. After a jump start, he departed, circled the airport, and headed toward the farm. When the flight was about five miles from the farm, the engine lost total power, and the pilot performed a forced landing. After clearing trees along the approach to a pasture, he slipped the airplane to lose altitude and he began to flare the airplane about 1/3 of the way into the pasture. The pilot then noticed a gravel drive with utility lines and trees at the end of the pasture. He stated that since he still had sufficient airspeed, he pulled back on the control yoke, the airplane became airborne, and he was able to clear the utility line and trees. The airplane then touched down hard. The pilot stated that he ground-looped the airplane to avoid the river at the end of the pasture. The airplane contacted the trees that he had just cleared before coming to rest. During the postaccident examination of the airplane, about 5 ounces of fuel were drained from the fuel sump-gascolator and carburetor, with no contaminants or water present. Both the left- and right-wing fuel tanks were empty. Examination of the engine confirmed compression on all four cylinders and continuity of the valvetrain. The cylinders and exhaust system components were examined with a lighted borescope with no anomalies noted. The left and right magnetos operated normally when tested. The spark plugs, ignition harness, and carburetor screen were examined, with no anomalies noted. The oil filter and housing were inspected and found to be free of contaminants. No anomalies were found that would have precluded normal operation of the engine. In a subsequent written statement, the pilot stated, “my aircraft experienced fuel exhaustion while returning to my farm. I thought I had enough fuel to make it, but I didn’t and ran out of gas.”

Contributing factors

  • Pilot
  • Fluid level

Conditions

Weather
VMC, wind 280/03kt, vis 10sm

Loading the flight search…

What you can do on Flight Finder

  • Search flights between any two airports with live fares.
  • By aircraft — pick a plane model (e.g. Boeing 787, Airbus A350) and see every route it flies from your origin.
  • Route map — click any airport worldwide to explore its destinations, or draw a radius to find nearby airports.
  • Global aviation safety — aviation accident database, 5,200+ records since 1980, with map and rankings by aircraft and operator.
  • NTSB safety feed — recent U.S. aviation accidents and incidents from the official NTSB CAROL database, updated daily.

Frequently asked questions

How do I search flights by aircraft type on FlightFinder?

Pick an aircraft model — Boeing 737, Airbus A320, A380, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and more — enter your origin airport, and FlightFinder shows every route that plane flies from there with live fares.

Which aircraft types can I filter by?

We support Boeing 737/747/757/767/777/787, the full Airbus A220/A319/A320/A321/A330/A340/A350/A380 family, Embraer E170/E175/E190/E195, Bombardier CRJ and Dash 8, and the ATR 42/72 turboprops.

Is FlightFinder free to use?

Search and schedules are free. Pro ($4.99/month, $39/year, or $99 one-time lifetime) unlocks the enriched flight card — on-time stats, CO₂ per passenger, amenities, live gate & weather — plus My Trips with push alerts.

Where does the route data come from?

Live schedules come from Amadeus, AeroDataBox and Travelpayouts. Observed routes (which aircraft actually flew a given city pair) are crowdsourced from adsb.lol ADS-B data under the Open Database License.