Cessna 172 N5530T

Summary

On 5 May 2001 at about 20:55 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N5530T was involved in an accident near Soldotna, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 May 2001 at 20:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Soldotna, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Soldotna (PASX)

Coordinates

60.4761, -151.0325

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N5530T

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cantwell → Soldotna

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC01LA054

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to refuel the airplane, and subsequent fuel exhaustion. A factor in the accident was an inadvertent stall during an emergency descent/landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The day before the accident, the private certificated pilot with one passenger, departed on a cross-country flight, but encountered poor weather conditions along the route. The pilot elected to land on a roadway and spent the night at a lodge. The following day, the pilot departed from the road without adding fuel, and headed for his destination. As the flight approached the destination airport, the airplane was cruising about 1,500 feet. About 4 miles from the airport, the engine lost power, and the pilot headed for an ultralight landing strip, located adjacent to the main destination runway. The runway surface was occupied by vehicles and pedestrians and the pilot began a turn to the left. About 20 feet above the ground, the airplane stalled and descended to the ground in a nose down attitude. The fuel selector was found on the left tank. The left fuel tank did not contain any fuel. The right fuel tank contained a small amount of fuel. The pilot said he always leaves the fuel tank selector on "BOTH" but the selector must have inadvertently been moved during the flight. During the emergency, the pilot said he did not check the position of the fuel selector.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.