Cessna 177 N29615

Summary

On 31 October 2021 at about 00:10 local time, a Cessna 177 registered N29615 was involved in an accident near Hudson Oaks, Texas, United States. 5 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

31 October 2021 at 00:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Hudson Oaks, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Parker County (WEA)

Coordinates

32.7480, -97.6741

Aircraft

Cessna 177

Registration

N29615

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

Guthrie → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN22LA036

Nobody was injured.

The partial loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing was the pilot’s improper fuel planning.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a personal flight, the pilot was descending the airplane for landing and added throttle, but the engine did not respond. The pilot decided to make a forced landing, during which the airplane collided with power lines and terrain, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane. Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine found damage in the engine area that precluded documentation of the throttle cable’s full range of travel. Examination of the accident site found no evidence of fuel in the tanks, but fuel did not appear to have leaked from the tanks. The pilot reported that the airplane should have contained at least 10 gallons of fuel. Thus, the pilot’s fuel calculations could have been incorrect, resulting in fuel exhaustion. In addition, the airplane was operating in an area conducive for the formation of serious icing at glide power. However, the pilot stated that he applied carburetor heat and enrichened the mixture when he began descending. The postaccident airplane and engine examination revealed no preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. As a result, and based on the available evidence, the reason for the partial loss of engine power was most likely the result of fuel exhaustion.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.