# Accident 19961216039459A: Cessna 172B, Charleston, WV, December 16, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 16, 1996, 13:42 local time
- Place: Charleston, WV
- Airport: Yeager
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.3704° N, 81.5610° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.3704&lon=-81.5610&mi=10
- Aircraft: N6937X, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6937X-1998-01-26) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172B (registry code 2072406, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172B
- Reported engine: CONT O300A
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB IAD97LA033](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD97LA033) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19961216039459A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

LOST POWER ENROUTE. IMPACTED TERRAIN. PILOT STATED MISJUDGED FUEL. FUEL TANKS WERE EMPTY.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB IAD97LA033](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD97LA033), Dec 16, 1996: Cessna 172B (N6937X), Charleston, WV, destroyed. Probable cause: improper planning/decision by the pilot, and his mismanagement of the fuel supply, which resulted in fuel exhaustion, loss of engine power, and a forced landing into wooded terrain.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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