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19990409021289I

Incident
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FAA incident report · Cessna 172L · Half Moon Bay, CA · April 9, 1999

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
April 9, 1999 · 11:30 local
Place
Half Moon Bay, CA
Airport
Half Moon Bay Airport
Phase of flight
Practice Training Manuevers
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Aircraft
N3985Q
Reported as
Cessna 172L
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
1,520 total600 in this make and model40 in the last 90 days
N3985QRegistered now · Cessna 172LS/N 17260085 · Built 1971Airframe modelCessna 172LEngine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

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.

According to statements taken, during instructional flight at 4500FT AGL near Half Moon Bay CA, experienced engine failure. Declared emergency. Tried to restart engine. Followed emergency proceedures in POH. Landed at Half Moon Bay Airport without injury or damage. Faulty fuel valve (recently installed, new unit from Cessna) was determined to cause the fuel starvation problem. In "both" position, or "right" position, the valve only supplied fuel from the right-hand tank. This, combined with a faulty fuel quantity indication, caused inaccurate calculations. (The right tank was depleted, while the left tank remained full.)

As the FAA filed it

ACCORDING TO STATEMENTS TAKEN, DURING INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT AT 4500FT AGL NEAR HALF MOON BAY CA, EXPERIENCED ENGINE FAILURE. DECLARED EMERGENCY. TRIED TO RESTART ENGINE. FOLLOWED EMERGENCY PROCEEDURES IN POH. LANDED AT HALF MOON BAY AIRPORT WITHOUT INJURY OR DAMAGE. FAULTY FUEL VALVE (RECENTLY INSTALLED, NEW UNIT FROM CESSNA) WAS DETERMINED TO CAUSE THE FUEL STARVATION PROBLEM. IN "BOTH" POSITION, OR "RIGHT" POSITION, THE VALVE ONLY SUPPLIED FUEL FROM THE RIGHT-HAND TANK. THIS, COMBINED WITH A FAULTY FUEL QUANTITY INDICATION, CAUSED INACCURATE CALCULATIONS. (THE RIGHT TANK WAS DEPLETED, WHILE THE LEFT TANK REMAINED FULL.)