Cessna 177B N177BJ

Summary

On 15 June 2005 at about 13:35 local time, a Cessna 177B registered N177BJ was involved in an accident near Fallon, Nevada, United States. One person was on board and 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

15 June 2005 at 13:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Fallon, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Fallon Municipal Airport (FLX)

Coordinates

39.4992, -118.7489

Aircraft

Cessna 177B

Registration

N177BJ

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fallon → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX05CA205

1 person had minor injuries.

the pilot's inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane lost engine power and impacted terrain short of the runway. The pilot reported that work was going to be done on the fuel gauges later that morning. In order for the work to be done, all the fuel had to be drained from the airplane. The pilot stated that he measured the fuel levels and decided that he had enough for a 1-hour flight, and decided to practice touch-and-go landings. The pilot made two successful touch-and-goes. On his third takeoff, about halfway down the runway, at 40-50 feet above ground level, the engine lost power. The pilot stated that he prepared for an emergency landing beyond the runway. At that point, the engine regained power, and the airplane began to climb in order to turn back around towards the runway. Before completing the turn, the engine lost power again. The airplane impacted terrain about 1/4-mile from the airport. No fuel was found in the strainer and about 1 cup of fuel was recovered from the fuel reservoir tank. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.