20100502041679I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 172N · Fairview Height, IL · May 2, 2010

Date: May 2, 2010 · 22:45 local
Place: Fairview Height, IL
Phase of flight: Descent
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N581ES
Reported as: Cessna 172N
Reported engine: Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours: 3,500 total600 in this make and model150 in the last 90 days

N581ESRegistered now · Cessna 172NS/N 17271811 · Built 1978 Airframe modelCessna 172N Engine 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.

Pilot was ferrying CE-172N N581ES from osu (Ohio) to a new owner in Oklahoma, with a planned stop at st. louis downtown airport (cps), IL. Pilot reported a/c was topped-off at departure and planned flight was just under four hours. With 40 gallons of useable fuel, adequate fuel should have been available to land at the destination with legal fuel reserve. While descending for landing at cps, engine failed due to fuel exhaustion. Forced landing was accomplished with only minor damage to the right wing. No useable fuel was found during on-scene investigation, or during disassembly to recover the airplane to cps. No evidence of fuel leakage was found, and engine exhaust indicated normal fuel leaning procedures were used.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT WAS FERRYING CE-172N N581ES FROM OSU (OHIO) TO A NEW OWNER IN OKLAHOMA, WITH A PLANNED STOP AT ST. LOUIS DOWNTOWN AIRPORT (CPS), IL. PILOT REPORTED A/C WAS TOPPED-OFF AT DEPARTURE AND PLANNED FLIGHT WAS JUST UNDER FOUR HOURS. WITH 40 GALLONS OF USEABLE FUEL, ADEQUATE FUEL SHOULD HAVE BEEN AVAILABLE TO LAND AT THE DESTINATION WITH LEGAL FUEL RESERVE. WHILE DESCENDING FOR LANDING AT CPS, ENGINE FAILED DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION. FORCED LANDING WAS ACCOMPLISHED WITH ONLY MINOR DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT WING. NO USEABLE FUEL WAS FOUND DURING ON-SCENE INVESTIGATION, OR DURING DISASSEMBLY TO RECOVER THE AIRPLANE TO CPS. NO EVIDENCE OF FUEL LEAKAGE WAS FOUND, AND ENGINE EXHAUST INDICATED NORMAL FUEL LEANING PROCEDURES WERE USED.