- Date
- January 27, 1989, 03:43 local (08:43 UTC)
- Place
- Cumming, GA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2556UCessna 172D
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report May 22, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890127001489A
- Case key
- 7984
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 pilot's decision to attempt VFR flight in adverse meteorological conditions at night with an inoperative attitude indicator and insufficient fuel reserve for the intended flight.
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 pilot had made a flight from his home airport to augusta and upon returning, had to divert due to weather. He had departed augusta about 2315, landed at pdk about 2400, and obtained a weather briefing from fss about 0122. The briefer indicated that weather conditions were IFR and the pilot stated that he was 'instrument' but the plane was not (no attitude indicator). The pilot indicated that he departed pdk for mccollum about 0245. At 0306, ztl recorded a call from the pilot that he 'got into some soup and was vfr'. He inidcated that he was not IFR qualified. After some vectors, the pilot indicated that he could see the ground. He was turned toward pdk at his request and then radioed that he was out of fuel. He had indicated sufficient fuel for 1 1/2 hours earlier in the sequence of events. Total time from initial radio contact to fuel exhaustion was about 32 minutes. During the forced landing the aircraft collided with a power line and trees.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2556U
- Reported as
- Cessna 172D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17250156
- Airframe hours
- 2,348
- Engine
- Continental O-300-D, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- E. Wayne Fredericks
- Registered owner
- Fredericks, E Wayne
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- PDK · Chamblee, GA
- Destination
- 8A4 · Kennesaw, GA
- Airport
- 84A · Mathis
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
- 38
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,300 total · 730 in this make and model · 900 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 330° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 900 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FTY
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.