- Date
- October 3, 1987, 10:25 local (15:25 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Bay, AL
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5647RCessna 172F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 11, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871003058499A
- Case key
- 7647
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 engine lost pwr shortly after t/o. the engine regained pwr as the plt was about to make a forced ldg in a field. He aborted the ldg attempt and attempted to make it back to the airstrip. The engine subsequently lost pwr again. The plt stretched his glide to avoid impacting trees, and insufficient airspeed remained to flare the acft prior to ldg in another field. The plt reported that the lt fuel tank gauge indicated 'empty' and the rt tank gauge indicated '1/4' full after the engine initially lost pwr. He noted that the fuel slector was in the 'both' position at the time. Post-crash exam of the acft by another plt revealed that the lt fuel tank was empty and that the rt tank contained about a pint of fuel.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5647R
- Reported as
- Cessna 172F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17253273
- Airframe hours
- 3,770
- Engine
- Continental O-300D, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Allen Sykes
- Registered owner
- Allen Sykes
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 26, 1987 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- 5R7 · Bayou La Batre, AL
- Airport
- Cutts Field, runway 36, 2,000 × 0 ft, grass/turf
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
- 51
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 279 total · 10 in this make and model · 252 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.