Cessna 177 N30309

Summary

On 12 July 2020 at about 16:23 local time, a Cessna 177 registered N30309 was involved in an accident near Falmouth, Kentucky, United States. One person was 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

12 July 2020 at 16:23

Classification

Accident

Location

Falmouth, Kentucky, United States

Coordinates

38.6417, -84.1978

Aircraft

Cessna 177

Registration

N30309

Category

Airplane

Year built

1968

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Elizabethtown → Batavia

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA20LA245

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to ensure that an adequate supply of fuel was available for the flight, which resulted in total 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 was flying the airplane as a favor to the previous owner and delivering it to the new owner. As part of his preflight inspection he used a wooden stick with graduated markings that he found in the airplane to determine the fuel level, and estimated each tank had about 12.5 gallons, which was more than enough for the intended flight. About 40 to 45 minutes into the flight, while flying at 3,000 ft mean sea level, the pilot noticed a slight drop of engine rpm which he thought was carburetor ice. He applied carburetor heat which restored the engine rpm, and about 3 to 4 minutes later, he noted the engine rpm had "quite a bit more rpm decrease, and the engine then quit." He maintained best glide airspeed and was unable to restore engine power. He maneuvered for a forced landing in a pasture. During the landing roll the airplane nosed over. Postaccident examination found both fuel tanks empty and there was no evidence of browning of vegetation beneath the resting position of either wing, nor a smell of fuel by a first responder. About 2 ounces and 4 ounces of blue colored fuel consistent with 100 low lead were drained from the carburetor float bowl and airframe fuel strainer, respectively. There was no evidence of fuel leaks from either wing, fuel cap, or fuel vent system. Following recovery of the airplane a temporary fuel supply was plumbed into the fuel supply line at each wing root and the engine was started and operated normally with no discrepancies noted. Given this information it is likely that the loss of engine power was most likely the result of fuel exhaustion. While the pilot believed there was 12.5 gallons of fuel in each fuel tank at the start of the flight, a mechanic who performed the last annual inspection that was signed off 2 days before the accident reported that each tank had an estimated 6 gallons when the inspection began, and that the amount of fuel at the start of the accident flight was likely slightly less due to post maintenance engine operations. Therefore, it is likely that the amount of fuel in both fuel tanks at the start of the accident flight was about half of what the pilot believed was onboard based on his assessment using utilizing the wooden sticks he found in the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.