# Accident 20010604010439A: Cessna 172L, Picayune, MS, June 4, 2001 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: June 4, 2001, 15:30 local time - Place: Picayune, MS - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Normal Cruise - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 30.5197° N, 89.6693° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.5197&lon=-89.6693&mi=10 - Aircraft: N18PF, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N18PF-2003-03-06) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 172L (registry code 2072432, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172l) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 172L - Reported engine: LYC O360A1A - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 1,200 total, 1,125 in this make and model, 60 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB ATL01LA062](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL01LA062) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010604010439A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (-23)AIRCRAFT WAS ENROUTE FROM EUFAULA, ALABAMA AIRPORT (EUF) TO BOGALUSA, LOUISIANA AIRPORT (BXA). THE PILOT REPORTED THAT APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES TO THE EAST OF THE DESTINATION AIRPORT, THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED AN ENGINE POWER LOSS, THAT IT QUIT, RESTARTED THEN QUIT AGAIN. HE STATED THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO TRANSFER FUEL FROM THE LEFT AUXILIARY TANK TO THE LEFT MAIN TANK. HE SAID WHEN HE TURNED THE TRASFER PUMP SWITCH ON, THE LIGHT DIDN'T COME ON AND THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF FUEL TRANSFER. DURING THE OFF AIRPORT LANDING IN HILLY FARM FIELD, THE AIRCRAFT LEFT WING STRUCK A TELEPHONE POLE, SEVERING THE LEFT WING FROM THE AIRCRAFT. POST CRASH EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THAT THE LEFT AUXILIARY TANK WAS FULL (11.5 GALLONS USABLE), ALL OTHER TANKS WERE EMPTY. THERE WAS A SMALL AMOUNT OF FUEL IN THE GASCOLATOR, ELECTRIC STANDBY FUEL PUMP AND BOTH AUXILIARY TRANSFER PUMPS. ALL FUEL SCREENS WERE CLEAN AND NO CONTAMINATION OBSERVED. THE FUEL WAS BLUE AND SMELLED LIKE 100 LL AVIATION FUEL. AN IN LINE 5 AMP/32 VOLT FUSE TIED INTO THE WIRE BUNDLE UNDER THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FOR THE TRANSFER PUMP WAS BROWN. THE PUMP OPERATED WHEN PROVIDED A 12 VDC POWER SOURCE. FUEL STARVATION OCCURRED DUE TO LACK OF EARLY FUEL TRANSFER PLANNING AND BLOWN FUSE. (.19)ON JUNE 4, 2001, AT 1545 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 172L, N18PF, MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A FIELD AFTER A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER 17 MILES NORTH PICAYUNE, MISSISSIPPI. THE FLIGHT WAS OPERATED BY THE PILOT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 WITH NO FLIGHT PLAN FILED. THE AIRPLANE WAS SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE, AND THE PILOT RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED EUFAULA, ALABAMA, AT 1315 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE WAS ENROUTE FROM EUFAULA, ALABAMA, TO BOGOLUSA, LOUISIANA, WHEN THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND QUIT. DURING AN EMERGENCY DESCENT OUT OF 4500 FEET, THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO RESTORE FULL ENGINE POWER BUT FAILED. THE PILOT THEN EXECUTED A FORCED LANDING TO A NEARBY FIELD. UNAWARE OF THE ROUGH AND UNEVEN FIELD, THE PILOT CONTINUED THE EMERGENCY DESCENT AND APPROACH. DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE AIRPLANE BOUNCED MULTIPLE TIMES, AND FINALLY CAME TO A STOP WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH A UTILITY POLE IN THE FIELD. (.4) ON JUNE 4, 2001, AT 1530 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 172L, N18PF, MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A FIELD AFTER A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER 17 MILES NORTH OF PICAYUNE, MISSISSIPPI. THE FLIGHT WAS OPERATED BY THE PILOT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 WITH NO FLIGHT PLAN FILED. THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE, AND THE PILOT RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES . THE FLIGHT DEPARTED EUFAULA, ALABAMA, AT 1315 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE WAS ENROUTE FROM EUFAULA, ALABAMA, TO BOGOLUSA, LOUISIANA, WHEN THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND QUIT. DURING AN EMERGENCY DESCENT OUT OF 4500 FEET, THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO RESTORE FULL ENGINE POWER BUT FAILED. THE PILOT THEN EXECUTED A FORCED LANDING TO A NEARBY FIELD. DURING THE EMERGENCY DESCENT TO LAND IN A HILLY FARM FIELD, THE AIRPLANE'S LEFT WING STRUCK A UTILITY POLE DURING LANDING ROLL, SEVERING THE LEFT WING FROM THE AIRPLANE. ONSITE EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS FOUND ON BOTH, AND THE MAIN AUXILIARY FUEL PUMP SWITCH WAS IN THE "OFF" POSITION. FURTHER INSPECTION SHOWED THE SHOULDER HARNESS ON THE PILOTS SIDE WERE NOT IN USE AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE CESSNA HAD TWO ADDITIONAL AUXILIARY FUEL TANKS INSTALLED WITH A SUPPLEMENTAL TYPE CERTIFICATE IN AUGUST, 2000. THESE AUXILIARY FUEL TANKS ARE OPERATED BY AUXILIARY FUEL PUMPS. EAC H FUEL TANK HELD APPROXIMATELY 11.5 GALLONS. DURING THE ONSITE WRECKAGE EXAMINATION, THE TWO MAIN FUEL TANKS WERE FOUND TO BE EMPTY AS WELL AS THE RIGHT AUXILIARY FUEL TANK. THE LEFT AUXILIARY FUEL TANK HAD APPROXIMATELY 11.5 GALLONS, OF FUEL REMAINING. THE LEFT AUXILIARY FUEL PUMP WAS REMOVED AND IT WAS FULL OF FUEL. THERE WERE NO SEDIMENT OR CONTAMINATION FOUND DURING THE INSPECTION. THE PUMP WAS TESTED WITH A 12 VDC SOURCE, THE LEFT AUXILIARY FUEL PUMP OPERATED AND PUMPED FUEL. AN IN LINE FUSE WAS FOUND UNDER THE INSTRUMENT PANEL THE REASON FOR FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED, AND IT HAD FAILED. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO SWITCH TO THE LEFT AUXILIARY FUEL TANK. THE PILOT STATED THAT WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO TRANSFER FUEL FROM THE LEFT AUXILIARY FUEL TANK, THE INDICATOR LIGHT DID NOT COME ON AND NO FUEL TRANSFER WAS OBSERVED. THE FUSES TO THE AUXILIARY FUEL TANKS ARE NOT ACCESSIBLE TO THE PILOT IN FLIGHT, THIS RESULTED IN THE LACK OF ABILITY TO CHECK THEM FOR CONDITION OR REPLACE THEM. THE PILOT DID NOT REFUEL THE AIRPLANE BEFORE TAKEOFF, NOR DID HE TERMINATE THE FLIGHT ONCE HE WAS AWARE THE TRANSFER OF FUEL WAS NOT POSSIBLE FROM THE LEFT AUXILIARY FUEL TANK. ## 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 ATL01LA062](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL01LA062), Jun 4, 2001: Cessna 172L (N18PF), Picayune, MS, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's inflight fuel planning /decision that resulted in fuel starvation and a loss of engine power. A factor was the failure of the fuel transfer pump. 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.