Cessna 172D N2948U

Summary

On 4 January 2015 at about 00:50 local time, a Cessna 172D registered N2948U, operated by Graham Robert A, was involved in an accident near Fresno, California, United States. 3 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

4 January 2015 at 00:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Fresno, California, United States

Coordinates

36.7208, -119.8175

Aircraft

Cessna 172D

Registration

N2948U

Category

Airplane

Year built

1963

Engines

1

Operator

Graham Robert A

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Oceanio → Fresno

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR15LA077

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper fuel planning, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, about 3 miles from the destination airport, the engine experienced a loss of power. During the forced landing to a nearby field, the airplane collided with an unseen set of power lines before touching down in the field. Both the left wing and the empennage were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that, when the engine lost power, the left wing fuel gauge was indicating that the tank was empty and the right wing fuel gauge was indicating that the tank was 1/4 to 1/2 full of fuel. Postaccident examination of the airframe revealed that the fuel system was not compromised, and no evidence of fuel was found in the airplane's fuel system. The examination of the engine revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.