# NTSB CEN20LA403: Cessna 177RG, N2699V, Palatine, IL, September 17, 2020 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: September 17, 2020, 18:10 local (23:10 UTC) - Place: Palatine, IL - Coordinates: 42.109619, -88.040779 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.1096&lon=-88.0408&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute: Loss of engine power (partial)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: FAA FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 102001 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN20LA403 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/102001/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=102001 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20LA403 ## Probable cause The loss of partial engine power due to fuel starvation during departure which resulted in a forced landing and collision with a utility pole. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Fluids: fuel](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010): Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware · Fluid level (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 177RG, 10 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md?model=2073709), [All aircraft, 1,695 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md) - [Planning/preparation: fuel planning](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot; cases with it: [Cessna 177RG, 5 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030/cases.md?model=2073709), [All aircraft, 719 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030/cases.md) - [Object/animal/substance: pole](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022010): Environmental issues › Physical environment · Contributed to outcome (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 177RG, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022010/cases.md?model=2073709), [All aircraft, 142 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022010/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute: Loss of engine power (partial)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 177RG, 7 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342/sequence.md?model=2073709), [All aircraft, 1,858 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342/sequence.md) - [Emergency descent: Off-field or emergency landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440); cases with it: [Cessna 177RG, 15 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md?model=2073709), [All aircraft, 3,365 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md) ## Analysis Shortly after departure, the airplane’s engine lost partial power and the pilot conducted a forced landing to a road. During the landing, the airplane struck a utility pole. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and empennage. After the accident, the fuel flow/pressure gauge displayed 5.5 gallons remaining. A short engine run was conducted, and no anomalies were detected. Following the engine run, 1 gallon of fuel was drained, which according to certification documentation, is the unusable fuel. An examination of the airplane’s fuel system revealed no deficiencies. Documentation for the fuel flow/pressure gauge used by the pilot to estimate onboard fuel informs pilots that the fuel remaining is the amount based on initial pilot inputs and that it should never be the primary indicator of fuel quantity and that fuel should be visually checked or measured before takeoff. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with a partial loss of engine power due to fuel starvation ## Factual narrative On September 17, 2020, about 1810 central daylight time, a Cessna 177RG airplane, N2699V, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Wheeling, Illinois. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. According to the pilot’s statement, the accident occurred on the third flight of the day. At the start of the flight, the fuel flow/pressure gauge displayed 9.5 gallons (he initially reported 6.5 gallons to a National Transportation Safety Board investigator). About 3 minutes after takeoff, the engine lost partial power. The pilot was unsuccessful in restoring engine power, so he elected to perform a forced landing to a road. During the landing roll, the right wing collided with a utility pole. Substantial damage was sustained to the airplane’s right wing and empennage. The fuel flow/pressure gauge displayed a fuel quantity of 5.5 gallons at the accident site. A postaccident engine run was conducted using the fuel that remained on the airplane. The engine ran without any anomalies. There was no contamination observed in the fuel lines from the fuel filter assembly to the fuel pump, fuel pump to the fuel controller, and from the fuel controller to the flow divider. The fuel flow transducer was examined, and no anomalies were observed. After the run was completed, 1 gallon of fuel was drained from the airplane, which appeared uncontaminated. A review of the airplane’s type certificate data sheet revealed the unusable fuel quantity for a Cessna 177RG was 1 gallon. Documentation for the Electronics International Inc. FP-5 fuel flow/pressure gauge states: The fuel remaining displayed by the FP-5 is not a measurement of the fuel in the tanks. It is an amount calculated from the starting fuel level you programmed into the FP-5, minus the fuel used while the engine was running. Even after verifying the calibration of the FP-5 it should never be used as the primary indicator of fuel quantity in the tanks. It is important the pilot visually check/measure the fuel quantity for each tank before takeoff and cross-check these readings against the Fuel Level Gauges and the FP-5. It is possible for any instrument to fail thereby displaying inaccurate high, low, or jumpy readings. Therefore, you must be able to recognize an instrument failure and you must be proficient in operating your aircraft safely in spite of an instrument failure. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N2699V](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2699V-2021-02-26), registration cancelled 2021-02-26, S/N 177RG0661, built 1975 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 177RG (No Series) - Registry model: [Cessna 177RG](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-177rg) (registry code 2073709) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming IO-360-A1B6D](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-360-a1b6d) (registry code 41593, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 177RG0661 - Year built: 1975 - Airframe hours: 4063 - Engines: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6D 200 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Zain Aviation Inc - Registered owner: Zain Aviation Inc - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, September 2, 2020, 29.7 hours before - Departed: PWK, Wheeling, IL - Destination: 3CK, Lake in the Hills, IL - Equipment: Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 39; injuries: none; flight instructor, airline transport; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, without waivers/limitations; seat: left; restraint: 3-point ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 20° at 6 knots - Temperature: 61 °F, dew point 46 °F - Altimeter: 30.17 inHg - Observed at: PWK ## 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 20200917014809A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200917014809A), Sep 17, 2020: Cessna 177RG, Palatine, IL, Substantial damage. When: 09/19/2020 23:10Z Where: lost power approximately 4 nautical miles (NM) west of kpwk at approximately 1200 feet above ground level (AGL). Aircraft came… ## Other investigations on N2699V (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 MIA83LA028](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA83LA028), Nov 14, 1982: Cessna 177RG (N2699V), Pensacola, FL, substantial damage ## Docket (3 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 28, 2022, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=102001. 6.5 MB in all. - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 11 pages, 6.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=12139549&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=NTSB%20Form%206120_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Case notes (item 2, PDF, 1 page, 113 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=12139786&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=CASE%20NOTES-Rel.pdf - Photo (item 3, PDF, 1 page, 1 photo, 467 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=12139559&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Photo%20la403-Rel.pdf 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.