- Date
- June 17, 2001, 12:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Colquitt, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N75579Cessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 20, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20010617011899A
- Case key
- 52558
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The student pilot's failure to use the fuel selector valve properly which resulted in fuel starvation and the subsequent loss of engine power, and the pilot's improper flare during landing.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The student pilot was performing a solo cross country. While at 3,000 feet cruise altitude, the engine lost power after the student pilot moved the fuel selector to a position between the fuel tank detents. The student pilot made an emergency landing to a nearby field. The airplane sustained major structure damage during the emergency landing. The post-accident examination of the airplane failed to disclose a mechanical problem with the airplane.
Factual narrative
On June 17, 2001, at 1200 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N75579, collided with the ground during an attempted emergency landing following the loss of engine power . The supervised, solo training flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the student pilot had no injuries. The flight initially departed Quincy Municipal Airport, Quincy, Florida, at 1100.
Reportedly, the student pilot made a full stop landing at Early County Airport, Blakely, Georgia. After takeoff, the pilot climbed to a cruising altitude of 3,500 feet. Due to clouds up ahead, he then made a descent down to 3,000 feet and leveled off. According to the student pilot, the right wing of the airplane was a little heavy so he positioned the fuel selector to a position between "Both" and "Right" tank positions. The student pilot was unaware that the fuel selector must be in the "Indent" to ensure fuel flow. The engine quit approximately 1-1/2 minutes later. The student pilot went through the emergency checklist and moved the fuel selector valve to the "Both" position. After efforts to restart the engine failed, the student pilot selected a nearby peanut field for an emergency landing. Approximately 50 feet above the ground, the propeller stopped. During the approach to land the airplane impacted the ground, nose first.
Examination of the engine failed to disclose any mechanical failures. No mechanical failures were reported by the pilot.
The student pilot was counseled and taken to a similar airplane were he was given a detailed explanation of how the fuel selector valve works.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N75579
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172-67823
- Airframe hours
- 8,220
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Mohammad Faruqui
- Registered owner
- Eagle Aircraft Corp.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 7, 2001 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- 11J · Early County, GA
- Destination
- MGR · Moultrie, GA
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 24
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 40 total · 34 in this make and model · 12 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- ABY, 7 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N75579 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.