20100319029779I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 177B · Brazil, IN · March 19, 2010

Date
March 19, 2010 · 19:20 local
Place
Brazil, IN
Phase of flight
Other, Specify
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N177GS
Reported as
Cessna 177B
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
400 total130 in this make and model3 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.

Pilot safely accomplished an engine out landing onto a four-lane divided highway. Upon rollout, the left wingtip struck a highway sign and caused the aircraft to veer into the center median where it came to a stop. The aircraft sustained minor damage. Investigation revealed 12 ounces of fuel remaining in the entire fuel system. The fuel caps were found on the aircraft and secured. Each component of the fuel system to include sump drains, belly drain, fuel selector, and fuel strainer were found operational. Last fueling transaction record compared against flight time records and indicated fuel exhaustion had occurred. The pilot stated he assumed the previous aircraft user had completely filled the aircraft after use because this procedure is the other user's normal practice. The pilot stated in his interview that he did not visually inspect the tanks during preflight or otherwise refer to the fuel quantity gauges prior to takeoff.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT SAFELY ACCOMPLISHED AN ENGINE OUT LANDING ONTO A FOUR-LANE DIVIDED HIGHWAY. UPON ROLLOUT, THE LEFT WINGTIP STRUCK A HIGHWAY SIGN AND CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO VEER INTO THE CENTER MEDIAN WHERE IT CAME TO A STOP. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE. INVESTIGATION REVEALED 12 OUNCES OF FUEL REMAINING IN THE ENTIRE FUEL SYSTEM. THE FUEL CAPS WERE FOUND ON THE AIRCRAFT AND SECURED. EACH COMPONENT OF THE FUEL SYSTEM TO INCLUDE SUMP DRAINS, BELLY DRAIN, FUEL SELECTOR, AND FUEL STRAINER WERE FOUND OPERATIONAL. LAST FUELING TRANSACTION RECORD COMPARED AGAINST FLIGHT TIME RECORDS AND INDICATED FUEL EXHAUSTION HAD OCCURRED. THE PILOT STATED HE ASSUMED THE PREVIOUS AIRCRAFT USER HAD COMPLETELY FILLED THE AIRCRAFT AFTER USE BECAUSE THIS PROCEDURE IS THE OTHER USER'S NORMAL PRACTICE. THE PILOT STATED IN HIS INTERVIEW THAT HE DID NOT VISUALLY INSPECT THE TANKS DURING PREFLIGHT OR OTHERWISE REFER TO THE FUEL QUANTITY GAUGES PRIOR TO TAKEOFF.