# NTSB DEN00LA018: Cessna 172N, N5225D, Rawlins, WY, November 12, 1999 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: November 12, 1999, 11:00 local (18:00 UTC) - Place: Rawlins, WY - Coordinates: 41.779289, -107.220069 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.7793&lon=-107.2201&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 4 uninjured - Status: Completed, report June 21, 2000 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 47761 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN00LA018 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/47761/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN00LA018 ## Probable cause The pilot's inadequate preflight planning preparation which resulted in fuel exhaustion. Factors in the accident were the unsuitable terrain on which to make a forced landing and the pilot's lack of experience in aircraft type. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, descent - normal - fluid,fuel - exhaustion (cause) - preflight planning/preparation - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - lack of total experience in type of aircraft, pilot in command (contributing factor) - Forced landing, descent - emergency - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll - terrain condition - rough/uneven - terrain condition - high vegetation - terrain condition - none suitable (contributing factor) ## Analysis The pilot said he drained 'three inches' of fuel from the fuel tanks because he would be carrying three passengers and their luggage, and he did not want to exceed the airplane's maximum gross weight of 2,550 pounds. About 2 hours 50 minutes after takeoff, 15 miles from his destination, the engine lost power and the pilot performed a forced landing to a rough field. The pilot indicated, and examination of the airplane confirmed, that fuel exhaustion was the reason the engine lost power. The pilot reported he received incorrect information about the fuel tanks that led him to believe that he had more fuel than the tanks held. He said there was only enough fuel for about 2.9 hours. The pilot reported that he thought the airplane's useable fuel was 50 gallons, not 38 gallons. ## Factual narrative On November 12, 1999, approximately 1100 mountain standard time, a Cessna 172N, N5225D, owned and operated by Smith and Barlow Enterprises, Inc., and doing business as Advantage Aviation of Provo, Utah, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain during a forced landing 8 miles south of Rawlins, Wyoming. The private pilot and three passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a VFR flight plan had been filed for the personal flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at Provo approximately 0810. The airplane was en route to Rapid City, South Dakota. Rawlins was to be the first refueling stop. The pilot told an FAA inspector that prior to his departure, he drained "three inches" of fuel from the fuel tanks because he would be carrying three passengers and their luggage and he did not want to exceed the airplane's maximum gross weight of 2,550 pounds. When the airplane was 15 miles southwest of Rawlins, the pilot initiated a descent. Shortly thereafter, the engine lost power. The pilot made a forced landing in a rough, sagebrush covered field 8 miles south of the Rawlins Airport, incurring damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot indicated, and examination of the airplane confirmed, that fuel exhaustion was the reason the engine lost power. In his accident report, the pilot said he "received incorrect information about the fuel tanks [that led him] to believe that [he] had more gas than the tanks held." He said there was only enough fuel for about 2.9 hours. In a statement he gave the airplane insurance company, the pilot said he thought the airplane's useable fuel was 50 gallons, not 38 gallons. According to the Cessna 172 Pilot's Operating Handbook, the standard and long range fuel tank capacity is 43 and 54 gallons, respectively. Useable fuel is 40 and 50 gallons, respectively. According to the pilot's accident report, he had 88 hours total flying time, of which 6 hours were in the Cessna 172. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N5225D](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N5225D), registered now, S/N 17272457, built 1979 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 172N - Registry model: [Cessna 172N](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172n) (registry code 2072434) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 17272457 - Airframe hours: 3395 - Engines: Lycoming O-360-A4M 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Smith & Barlow Enterprises - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, September 22, 1999, 278 hours before - Departed: PVU, PROVO, UT - Destination: RWL, WY - Flight plan: VFR ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 18; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 88 total, 6 in this make and model, 43 as pilot in command, 18 in the last 90 days, 11 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 220° at 10 knots - Visibility: 60 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 68 °F, dew point 19 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: RWL, 8 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19991112042889A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19991112042889A), Nov 12, 1999: Cessna 172N, Rawlins, WY, No damage. (-23) On 11-12-99, dan s. andersen a private pilot, while enroute from provo, UT. To rawlings, WY. Ran out of gas approx 7 miles s. of Rawlins, WY. And an… 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.