Cessna 172K N678BC

Summary

On 18 February 2003 at about 23:30 local time, a Cessna 172K registered N678BC was involved in an accident near Jacksonville, Texas, United States. One person was 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

18 February 2003 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Jacksonville, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Cherokee County Airport (JSO)

Coordinates

31.8692, -95.2172

Aircraft

Cessna 172K

Registration

N678BC

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Atmore → Jacksonville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW03LA100

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight planning and preparation for the flight which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. A contributing factor 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 impacted and came to rest in a grove of trees approximately 1/4 mile short of the landing threshold of the runway. The 400-hour pilot reported to the FAA inspector that the engine "began sputtering and running rough while he was on final, until it finally stopped." The propeller did not exhibit signs of rotational damage, and post-recovery examination of the fuel tanks revealed no fuel was present in either tank. The airplane had been airborne for four hours since the time it departed on a 410-nautical miles cross-country flight. No refueling stops were made along the route of flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.