Cessna 177A N30491

Summary

On 3 September 2005 at about 01:22 local time, a Cessna 177A registered N30491 was involved in an accident near S. Hackensack, New Jersey, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 September 2005 at 01:22

Classification

Accident

Location

S. Hackensack, New Jersey, United States

Nearest airport

Teterboro Airport (TEB)

Coordinates

40.2992, -74.5208

Aircraft

Cessna 177A

Registration

N30491

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Block Island → Teterboro

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

NTSB number

NYC05FA140

1 person died.

The pilot's inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and subsequent loss of engine power. A factor in the accident was the pilot's impairment from prescription medication.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

On the day of the accident, the pilot and passenger flew from the pilot's home airport to the destination airport approximately one hour away. Prior to departing from the destination airport, the pilot performed several touch-and-go landings at night for currency reasons, and then the pilot and passenger departed for the return flight. After flying for about an hour, the pilot declared an emergency, and was radar vectored to the closest airport. She advised air traffic control that the airplane was "out of fuel," and that she "hope[d] to make it to the runway." The airplane impacted a utility pole and a building approximately 1/4 mile from the end of the runway. Examination of the airplane and engine revealed no mechanical anomalies. Four gallons of fuel were drained from the right fuel tank, and the left tank was empty. The pilot refueled the airplane on the day prior to the accident, at an airport 50 miles from her home airport. According to the Cessna 177 Owner's Manual, the average fuel burn rate was between 8 gallons per hour (gph) and 10 gph. Toxicological testing performed on the pilot's blood detected alprazolam (a prescription anti-anxiety medication also known by the trade name Xanax) at a level consistent with recent ingestion of an impairing dose of the medication. Testing additionally detected diazepam (a prescription anti-anxiety medication also known by the trade name Valium) in the pilot's blood. The two medications detected are not typically indicated for use together. The pilot, a self-employed psychologist, had not reported any mental conditions or use of medications on her applications for airman medical certificate.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.