# NTSB ATL04CA193: Cessna 177, N29650, Anderson, SC, September 26, 2004 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: September 25, 2004, 21:55 local (Sep 26, 2004, 01:55 UTC) - Place: Anderson, SC - Coordinates: 34.586666, -82.673057 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.5867&lon=-82.6731&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 4 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 3, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 60212 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ATL04CA193 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/60212/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL04CA193 ## Probable cause The pilot's inadequate preflight planning of fuel required for the flight and his improper in-flight decision, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, cruise - fluid,fuel - exhaustion (cause) - preflight planning/preparation - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - in-flight planning/decision - improper, pilot in command (cause) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - On ground/water collision with object, emergency descent/landing - object - fence - terrain condition - roadway/highway ## Analysis The pilot stated he departed at 1600 central daylight time "assuming I had five hours of fuel at departure." The pilot stated he did not visually verify the fuel level in the tanks, and that, during the flight, he "noticed the fuel gauges read lower than they should." The pilot stated he elected to continue without stopping to add fuel. The flight was at 6,000 feet approximately four to five miles from the airport when the engine quit. The pilot located a road for emergency landing. During landing roll, the left wing of the airplane struck a fence, and the airplane veered left into the fence. Emergency response personnel reported no fuel was found in the airplane's fuel tanks. A review of 911 records revealed the accident was reported by callers at 2155 eastern daylight time. ## Factual narrative On September 25, 2004, at 2155 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 177, N29650, registered to and operated by the private pilot, landed on a road and struck a fence following a loss of engine power in Anderson, South Carolina. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The private pilot and the three passengers reported no injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight departed Picayune Municipal Airport, Picayune, Mississippi, at 1600 central daylight time on September 25, 2004. The pilot stated he requested the airplane be topped off with fuel, and he departed Picayune, Mississippi, "assuming I had five hours of fuel at departure." The pilot stated he did not visually verify the fuel level in the tanks prior to departure, and that, during the flight, he "noticed the fuel gauges read lower than they should." The pilot stated he elected to continue without stopping to add fuel. The pilot stated the flight was at 6,000 feet approximately four to five miles from Greenville Downtown Airport, Greenville, South Carolina, when the engine quit. The pilot stated he notified the tower controller that he was out of fuel, and the controller cleared him to proceed for a straight-in landing on runway 10. The pilot stated that, "with the strong headwind, I knew I wouldn't make it," and he turned the airplane toward Donaldson Center Airport, Greenville, South Carolina. The pilot stated he then realized the airplane could not glide the distance to that airport, either, and he searched for a road on which to land. The pilot landed the airplane on Frontage Road beside Interstate 85. The pilot stated that, during landing roll, the left wing of the airplane struck a fence, and the airplane veered left into the fence. Examination of the airplane revealed the left wing spar and the right wing were damaged, the fuselage was buckled near the firewall, and the nosewheel was separated. Emergency response personnel reported no fuel was found in the airplane's fuel tanks. A review of fueling records from a fixed-base operator at Picayune Municipal Airport, Picayune, Mississippi, revealed on September 25, 2004, the airplane was topped off with 39.3 gallons 100 LL aviation fuel. A review of Anderson County Emergency Services 911 records revealed the accident was reported by callers at 2155. A review of recorded wind data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Air Resources Laboratory revealed winds aloft along the route of flight were generally from the northeast at speeds ranging from 15 to 25 knots at the altitudes flown. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N29650](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N29650-2013-02-19), registration cancelled 2013-02-19, S/N 17701008, built 1968 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 177 - Registry model: [Cessna 177](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-177) (registry code 2073704) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming O&VO-360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (registry code 41514, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 17701008 - Engines: Lycoming O-360 reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Business, Part 91 - Registered owner: Edward Bryan Seaborn - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal - Departed: KMJD, Picayune, MS - Destination: KGMU, Greenville, SC ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 41; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3; flight hours: 405 total, 185 in this make and model, 18 in the last 90 days, 8 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20040925022879A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040925022879A), Sep 25, 2004: Cessna 177, Greenville, SC, Substantial damage. (-23) On a return flight of personal nature with 3 pax on board from mjd Mississippi, pilot edward seaborn was descending to land at gmu Greenville SC in a… ## Other investigations on N29650 (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 CHI08CA120](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI08CA120), May 4, 2008: Cessna 177 (N29650), Bellefontaine, OH, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the aborted landing. Contributing to the accident was the fence. 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. --- 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.