# Accident 20020801033289A: Cessna 172K, Patuxent River, MD, August 1, 2002 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: August 1, 2002, 14:20 local time - Place: Patuxent River, MD - Airport: Patuxent River Nas/Trapnell Fi - Damage: Substantial damage - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 38.3083° N, 76.4161° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.3083&lon=-76.4161&mi=10 - Aircraft: N1177M, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1177M-2003-06-11) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 172K (registry code 2072430, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172k) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 172K - NTSB investigation: [NTSB IAD02LA080](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD02LA080) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020801033289A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (-23) THE AIRCRAFT WAS PARKED IN THE MYRTLE BEACH GENERAL AVIATION RAMP WHEN ANITA AND I ARRIVED AT 10:30 EDT TO BEGIN PREFLIGHT PREPARATIONS FOR OUR RETURN TRIP TO MARYLAND. WE HAD FLOWN THE AIRCRAFT TO MYRTLE BEACH (MYR) THE PRECEDING TUESDAY. THE AIRCRAFT HAD APPROXIMATELY 16 GALLONS OF GAS AS IT SAT ON THE FLIGHT LINE. I CALLED 1-800-WX-BRIEF TO GET WEATHER AND FILE A VFR FLIGHT PLAN FOR THE RETURN TRIP. MY PREFLIGHT PLANNING SAID THE TRIP WOULD LAST ABOUT 3+00 WITH THE FORECAST WINDS ALOFT AT OUR SELECTED ALTITUDE (5,500 MSL). I REQUESTED 20 GALLONS OF 100LL BE ADDED TO THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE FBO PERSONNEL. FUELING COMPLETE, I PERFORMED A PREFLIGHT INSPECTION AND LOADED THE AIRCRAFT. THE ENGINE WAS STARTED AT 11:45 LOCAL AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS TAXIED SHORTLY AFTER THAT. FINISHING THE RUN-UP CHECKS, THE FUEL GAUGES WERE DOUBLE CHECKED TO CONFIRM 3/4 FULL PER SIDE. DEPARTURE WAS ON COURSE WITH A RIGHT TURNOUT TO HEADING 030 DEGREE. DURING THE ENROUTE PORTION OF THE FLIGHT, CARBURETOR HEAT WAS USED ONLY OCCASIONALLY AS THE INSTALLED CARB ICE DETECTOR SHOWED PRUDENT, THE ENGINE WAS LEANED PERIODICALLY, AND WAS RUN AT 2400-2500 RPM. FREQUENT GROUND SPEED CALCULATIONS WERE PERFORMED USING DISTANCE FIGURES FROM THE INSTALLED LORAN AND CONSISTENTLY SHOWED BETWEEN 100-110 MPH. SOME ALTITUDE VARIATION WAS REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN VFR AROUND GOLDSBORO, NC BUT ONLY LASTED FOR 20 MILES. THE REMAINDER OF THE FLIGHT WAS STRAIGHT AND LEVEL WITH FAIRLY CONSTANT HEADING. APPROACHING THE TERMINAL AREA, I WAS HANDED OFF FROM PATUXENT APPROACH TO TOWER WITH NO SIGNIFICANT DELAYS DUE TO RESTRICTED AREA ENTRY. THE TOWER'S INITIALLY INSTRUCTIONS WERE GIVEN ABOUT 10 MILES OUT TO PLAN FOR A LEFT BASE TO RUNWAY 02 AT BEGAN TO ESTABLISH AS WELL AS PERFORM LANDING CHECKS. ABOUT 3 MILES OUT AND AT AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 2,000 FT MSL, I WAS INSTRUCTED TO COMPLETE A 360 DEGREE TURN FOR SPACING AND CHANGE TO A STRAIGHT IN FOR RUNWAY 06. SHORTLY AFTER ROLLING-OUT OF THE TURN, THE ENGINE HAD A PROBLEM. I NOTED A LOSS OF THRUST AND A DROP IN ENGINE NOISE. A QUICK LOOK AT THE FUEL GAUGES CONFIRMED WHAT APPEARED TO BE DEFINITE FUEL QUANTITY IN EACH TANK (1/8 CAPACITY IN THE LEFT AND 1/4 CAPACITY IN THE RIGHT). WHILE LOOKING AT THE FUEL GAUGES, A QUICK ATTEMPT AT RAISING THE FLAPS (WHICH WERE LOWERED JUST PRIOR TO THE ENGINE PROBLEM) WAS BEGUN. ALSO, THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF MAYDAY TRANSMISSIONS WERE MADE OVER THE TOWER FREQUENCY. UNSURE OF WHAT PROBLEMS HAD OCCURRED WITH THE ENGINE, I ELECTED TO SPEND A MINUTE TROUBLESHOOTING THE ENGINE. I FIRST ATTEMPTED TO TRY THE STARTER. I THEN REALIZED THAT THE ENGINE WAS IN FACT AT IDLE. I CYCLED THE THROTTLE THROUGH FULL OPEN, CLOSED, AND BACK TO OPEN. THE FINAL INCREASE BROUGH POWER BACK, BUT FOR LESS THEN 2 SECONDS AND WITH A SUBSEQUENT ENGINE SHUTDOWN (BLADES STOPPED). AT THE PERCEPTION OF ENGINE RECOVERY, I ATTEMPTED TO REGAIN LEVEL FLIGHT WITH AFT YOKE. THE NET RESULT FROM THE POWER SURGE AND SUBSEQUENT PITCH CHANGE WAS A LOSS OF AIRSPEED. DUE TO THIS LOSS OF AIRSPEED, THE TREES IN OUR FLIGHT PATH, AND THE GROUND PROXIMITY, I ELECTED TO LEAVE THE FLAPS IN THEIR CURRENT SETTING TO PREVENT INDUCING A STALL. I HELD THE NOSE ABOVE GLIDE PROFILE AND ATTEMPTED WHATEVER RIGHT TURN I COULD GET. ONCE CLEAR OF THE TREE DANGER AND SEEING THE AIRSPEED AT 40 KIAS, I LOWERED THE NOSE TO REGAIN SOME AIRSPEED AND TO ENABLE A FLAIR JUST PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN. OF NOTE, IT HAD TAKEN ABOUT 5/8 TANK (A SIDE) AND 3.7 HOURS TO MAKE THE TRIP DOWN TO SOUTH CAROLINA. I BELIEVED THAT 3/4 TANK (A SIDE) WOULD BE AMPLE FOR THE RETURN TRIP ESPECIALLY WHEN I EXPECTED THE RETURN TRIP TO BE SHORTER BY 0.4 HOURS OF FLIGHT TIME. NUMEROUS FUEL DIVERT AIRFIELDS WITH WHICH I WAS FAMILIAR WERE IDENTIFIED AS PART OF PREFLIGHT PLANNING SHOULD I HAVE FELT THE FUEL STATE WAS NOT PROCEEDING AS PLANNED. WHEN THE ENGINE FIRST BEGAN TO QUIT, I DID MAKE AN EFFORT TO LOOK AT THE FUEL GAUGES JUST TO CONFIRM THAT THE FUEL QUANTITY HAD NOT SUDDENLY DROPPED TO ZERO FOR WHATEVER REASON. WITH THE BELIEF THAT FUEL REMAINED, I BEGAN TROUBLESHOOTING A SICK ENGINE. ## 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 IAD02LA080](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD02LA080), Aug 1, 2002: Cessna 172K (N1177M), Patuxent River, MD, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's inadequate fuel calculations, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a subsequent loss of engine power. 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.