Cessna 177B N904DS

Summary

On 8 May 1998 at about 23:36 local time, a Cessna 177B registered N904DS was involved in an accident near Prattsville, Ohio, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 May 1998 at 23:36

Classification

Accident

Location

Prattsville, Ohio, United States

Coordinates

39.2396, -82.4709

Aircraft

Cessna 177B

Registration

N904DS

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Evansville → Parkersburg

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD98LA055

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection and the inadequate fuel consumption calculations, which resulted in fuel exhaustion, loss of engine power, and a forced landing. Uneven terrain in the forced landing area was a related factor.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Two pilots departed without visually verifying the quantity of fuel in the fuel tanks. During climbout, the pilots noted the right fuel quantity indicator '...was all the way on 'E', the left read three-quarters.' The pilot selected the right tank position on the fuel selector and flew for 50 minutes. He said this satisfied his suspicion that the right fuel gauge was inaccurate. The pilot said he then flew from the left tank to balance the fuel load and ultimately switched the selector to 'Both.' While in cruise flight at 9,000 feet, after approximately 2 hours of flight time, the engine stopped producing power. During a subsequent forced landing on uneven terrain, the airplane nosed over. There was no evidence of fuel at the scene. After the accident, an FAA Inspector started and ran the engine on the airframe. After reviewing his records and fuel receipts, the co-pilot/owner stated the airplane operated to its fuel endurance.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.