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19960717023579I

Incident
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FAA incident report · Cessna 177B · Demopolis, AL · July 17, 1996

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
July 17, 1996 · 12:15 local
Place
Demopolis, AL
Airport
Demopolis Municipal Airport
Phase of flight
Final Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Aircraft
N30915
Reported as
Cessna 177B
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
163 total78 in this make and model21 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: pilot made a visual check of both fuel tanks during preflight prior to his 0845L departure from "spirit of st. louis" airport, st. louis, MO. He found both tanks full. The pilot flight planned for a four (4) hour maximum flight with five (5) hours of fuel on-board. He used his wrist watch and fuel consumption analogy to determine fuel use for the direct flight to Demopolis, AL. The pilot reported he noticed the fuel gages reading zero just prior to the engine hesitating, but relied on his aforementioned procedures for fuel consumption. The engine finally shutdown approximately seven (7) miles from the Demopolis airport forcing an unscheduled landing on highway 23 north of the airport. The pilot further stated the aircraft was topped off with 100 octane low lead fuel on July 16, 1996, by million air of st. louis, MO after his father completed local flying. Note: passenger, barry nagel supplied some of this information, and stated he flew the aircraft from the highway site on to Demopolis airport after it was serviced with ten (10) gallons of fuel.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: PILOT MADE A VISUAL CHECK OF BOTH FUEL TANKS DURING PREFLIGHT PRIOR TO HIS 0845L DEPARTURE FROM "SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS" AIRPORT, ST. LOUIS, MO. HE FOUND BOTH TANKS FULL. THE PILOT FLIGHT PLANNED FOR A FOUR (4) HOUR MAXIMUM FLIGHT WITH FIVE (5) HOURS OF FUEL ON-BOARD. HE USED HIS WRIST WATCH AND FUEL CONSUMPTION ANALOGY TO DETERMINE FUEL USE FOR THE DIRECT FLIGHT TO DEMOPOLIS, AL. THE PILOT REPORTED HE NOTICED THE FUEL GAGES READING ZERO JUST PRIOR TO THE ENGINE HESITATING, BUT RELIED ON HIS AFOREMENTIONED PROCEDURES FOR FUEL CONSUMPTION. THE ENGINE FINALLY SHUTDOWN APPROXIMATELY SEVEN (7) MILES FROM THE DEMOPOLIS AIRPORT FORCING AN UNSCHEDULED LANDING ON HIGHWAY 23 NORTH OF THE AIRPORT. THE PILOT FURTHER STATED THE AIRCRAFT WAS TOPPED OFF WITH 100 OCTANE LOW LEAD FUEL ON JULY 16, 1996, BY MILLION AIR OF ST. LOUIS, MO AFTER HIS FATHER COMPLETED LOCAL FLYING. NOTE: PASSENGER, BARRY NAGEL SUPPLIED SOME OF THIS INFORMATION, AND STATED HE FLEW THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE HIGHWAY SITE ON TO DEMOPOLIS AIRPORT AFTER IT WAS SERVICED WITH TEN (10) GALLONS OF FUEL.