Cessna 177RG N35552

Summary

On 15 September 2005 at about 20:00 local time, a Cessna 177RG registered N35552, operated by Ronald Ritchey, was involved in an accident near Cadiz, Kentucky, United States. 3 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 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

15 September 2005 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Cadiz, Kentucky, United States

Coordinates

36.7728, -87.5194

Aircraft

Cessna 177RG

Registration

N35552

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Ronald Ritchey

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Denison → Hopkinsville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD05LA136

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's inadequate in-flight decision, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and subsequent loss of engine power. A factor was the pilot's early flare during the emergency landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a cross-country flight, while descending from 5,500 feet, the engine started to "surge". The pilot turned toward the nearest airport, and the engine stopped running. After attaining best glide airspeed, the pilot felt the airplane wouldn't make it to the airport, so he force-landed in a field. The pilot flared the airplane "a little high," and landed hard. A post-accident examination of the airplane revealed 110 ml of fuel in each tank, with no evidence of leakage. En route, the pilot had to deviate once due to weather and once due to a restricted area. The pilot also reported operating the airplane 4.5 hours since the last fuel stop.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.