Cessna 172F N7873U

Summary

On 12 June 2002 at about 02:30 local time, a Cessna 172F registered N7873U was involved in an accident near Salt Lake City, Utah, 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

12 June 2002 at 02:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

Salt Lake City 2 Municipal (U42)

Coordinates

40.6000, -112.0000

Aircraft

Cessna 172F

Registration

N7873U

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hurricane → Salt Lake City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

DEN02LA053

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's improper in-flight planning and decisions, which resulted in fuel exhaustion. A factor contributing to the accident was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane's engine lost power approximately 2 miles southwest of the intended destination. The pilot said they turned west to avoid houses and power lines. "The sun was in our eyes and we could only look down." The pilot reported spotting a vacant road on which they planned to land. The pilot said she had to turn east to see what was on the road before they landed. The pilot said that turning resulted in a loss of airspeed, such that they landed in a field 50 feet from the road. "When we got close enough to land is when we noticed it was a plowed field." The pilot said the airplane touched down on the main gear, but when the nose gear touched, it "plowed into the field," and the airplane nosed over. An examination of the airplane revealed no fuel present. No other anomalies were found.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.