Cessna 172 N288GB

Summary

On 29 June 2016 at about 19:00 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N288GB was involved in an accident near Gray, Georgia, United States. 2 people were on board and 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

29 June 2016 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Gray, Georgia, United States

Coordinates

33.0097, -83.5339

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N288GB

Category

Airplane

Year built

1962

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Jasper → Macon

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA16CA277

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to properly manage the available fuel supply, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot, his passenger, and his 80- to 100-lb dog were on a cross-country flight and had just leveled off at 2,500 ft when the engine suddenly stopped producing power. The pilot was unable to restart the engine and made a forced landing to a field. During the landing, the airplane struck a tree and a fence, which resulted in substantial damage to the firewall, fuselage, and wings. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the right fuel tank had 15 gallons of fuel in it and that the left tank was empty. The fuel selector valve was found between the "left" and "both" tank positions. The front right seat had been removed before the flight to accommodate the pilot's dog, who sat on the floor during the flight. The pilot said he departed with the fuel selector valve in the "both" position, but during the flight, the dog must have inadvertently moved the valve's handle toward the "left" tank position, which resulted in the loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. A functional check of the fuel selector valve revealed no mechanical issues, and the valve seated securely into each detent. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical deficiencies with the engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.