Cessna 172H N2706L

Summary

On 4 December 2002 at about 21:15 local time, a Cessna 172H registered N2706L was involved in an accident near Leeds, Massachusetts, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

4 December 2002 at 21:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Leeds, Massachusetts, United States

Nearest airport

Barnes Westfield (BAF)

Coordinates

42.3500, -72.7000

Aircraft

Cessna 172H

Registration

N2706L

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Westfield → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

IAD03LA022

2 people had minor injuries.

The flight instructor's failure to ensure adequate fuel onboard, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot performed the preflight inspection, by the checklist, and under the supervision of the flight instructor, for the dual instructional flight. He checked the fuel gauges and looked in the tanks, but he did not "stick" the tanks and confirm the exact fuel quantity. He estimated that each tank was about "three-quarters" full. Fuel samples drained from the wings and the fuel strainer were absent of water and debris. The student pilot performed the engine start, run-up procedures, and before-takeoff checks, and all indications were normal. He then flew out to the local training area and performed steep turns. The flight instructor noted some minor deficiencies in the student's technique, and demonstrated the use of pitch and power to smooth the maneuver. They then transitioned to minimum-controllable-airspeed maneuvers, then to power-off stalls. During a stall recovery, the flight instructor noticed a reduction in engine power. He adjusted the throttle, mixture, and carburetor heat controls but the engine stopped producing power, and the propeller stopped completely. During the subsequent descent, the flight instructor contacted air traffic control, declared an emergency, and selected a field for the night forced landing. The airplane struck trees prior to the field, descended to the ground, nosed over, and came to rest inverted. There was only a faint odor of fuel and no evidence of fuel spillage at the scene. There was also no evidence of fuel in either fuel tank. Examination of the engine revealed no anomalies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.