Cessna 177 N2301Y

Summary

On 9 June 2011 at about 00:30 local time, a Cessna 177 registered N2301Y was involved in an accident near Santa Clarita, California, 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

9 June 2011 at 00:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Santa Clarita, California, United States

Coordinates

34.4206, -118.5181

Aircraft

Cessna 177

Registration

N2301Y

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Luis Obispo → Van Nuys

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11LA254

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight verification of the fuel quantity and his inadequate fuel consumption calculations, which resulted in fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Prior to the flight, the pilot visually checked the fuel quantity in the fuel tanks and the left fuel tank fuel quantity was within one inch from the filler neck, and the right fuel tank appeared to be half full. As the flight neared the area of the accident site, both the pilot and passenger observed the right fuel gauge indicate zero, followed by the left. While attempting to maneuver around clouds to descend to an airport the pilot saw beneath the clouds, the engine started to sputter. The pilot switched the fuel selector from the both position to the left fuel tank and the engine stopped almost immediately. He then switched to the right fuel tank, but the engine did not restart. The pilot initiated a forced landing onto a road, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane's wings and horizontal stabilizer. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector revealed no fuel in either fuel tank and about 1/2 cup of fuel was drained from the fuel strainer. The FAA inspector also observed a placard on the instrument panel which stated "... [the] Tuned Exhaust System installed on this aircraft may cause the aircraft to burn more fuel at certain power settings. It is the Pilot's responsibility to determine what, if any, change in fuel flow exists and to plan accordingly."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.