# NTSB DEN02LA053: Cessna 172F, N7873U, Salt Lake City, UT, June 12, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 11, 2002, 20:30 local (Jun 12, 2002, 02:30 UTC) - Place: Salt Lake City, UT - Coordinates: 40.599998, -112 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.6000&lon=-112.0000&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report September 20, 2002 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 54927 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN02LA053 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/54927/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54927 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN02LA053 ## Probable cause the pilot's improper in-flight planning and decisions, which resulted in fuel exhaustion. A factor contributing to the accident was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, descent - in-flight planning/decision - improper, pilot in command (cause) - fluid,fuel - exhaustion (cause) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - Nose over, emergency landing - unsuitable terrain or takeoff/landing/taxi area - encountered (contributing factor) - light condition - dusk - terrain condition - plowed/furrowed ## Analysis The airplane's engine lost power approximately 2 miles southwest of the intended destination. The pilot said they turned west to avoid houses and power lines. "The sun was in our eyes and we could only look down." The pilot reported spotting a vacant road on which they planned to land. The pilot said she had to turn east to see what was on the road before they landed. The pilot said that turning resulted in a loss of airspeed, such that they landed in a field 50 feet from the road. "When we got close enough to land is when we noticed it was a plowed field." The pilot said the airplane touched down on the main gear, but when the nose gear touched, it "plowed into the field," and the airplane nosed over. An examination of the airplane revealed no fuel present. No other anomalies were found. ## Factual narrative On June 11, 2002, approximately 2030 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172F, N7873U, piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged when the airplane nosed over during a forced landing, 2 miles southwest of the Salt Lake City 2 Municipal Airport, Salt Lake City, Utah. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and passenger on board the airplane reported no injuries. The cross-country flight originated at Hurricane, Utah, at 1830, and was en route to Salt Lake City. The pilot reported, "About 2 miles from Salt Lake #2 the engine quit, I turned west to stay away from the houses and power lines. The sun was in our eyes and we could only look down. We spotted a vacant road and I had to turn east to see what was on the road before we landed." The pilot said that turning resulted in a loss of airspeed, such that they landed in a field 50 feet from the road. "When we got close enough to land is when we noticed it was a plowed field." The pilot said the airplane touched down on the main gear, but when the nose gear touched, it "plowed into the field," and the airplane nosed over. An examination of the airplane revealed the airplane's vertical stabilizer and rudder were crushed downward. The rear spar of the right wing was bent. The right wing strut was buckled. Flight control continuity was confirmed. No anomalies were found with the engine, engine controls, or other airplane systems. An examination of the fuel tanks revealed no fuel present. There were no other indicators of fuel at the accident site. The pilot said that they logged 2.2 hours on their flight to Hurricane. The pilot figured the return trip would take 2 hours to complete. The pilot said that they had planned to "stop at Fillmore for fuel," but the runway was closed. The pilot said they called other airports, but got not response. "When we took off I was on the left tank so I ran the left tank until empty and was figuring how long it would run on empty, it ran 25 minutes. We were between Fillmore and Nephi when we changed to the right tank. We thought about Provo but we would have to cross Utah Lake and the pattern was full of students. Our gas gage (gauge) said we had a quarter of a tank and we had 65 miles to go, so we continued." ## Aircraft - Registration: [N7873U](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N7873U-2003-04-14), registration cancelled 2003-04-14, S/N 17251873, built 1964 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 172F - Registry model: [Cessna 172F](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172f) (registry code 2072414) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental 0-300 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-300-series) (registry code 17022, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 17251873 - Airframe hours: 3843 - Engines: Continental O-300D 145 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Francine B. Rieck - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, July 12, 2001, 35 hours before - Departed: UT47, Hurricane, UT - Destination: U42, Salt Lake City, UT - Airport: U42, Salt Lake City 2 Municipal ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 59; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 903 total, 798 as pilot in command ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Dusk - Wind: 170° at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 57 °F, dew point 34 °F - Altimeter: 30.09 inHg - Observed at: SLC, 10 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 20020611015749A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020611015749A), Jun 11, 2002: Cessna 172F, Southjordan, UT, No damage. (-23) While returning from hurricane, UT, the aircraft ran out of fuel enroute to salt lake city airport #2. (U42). Landing was made in a plowed field, with… ## Docket (1 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 29, 2002, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54927. 334 KB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 334 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40445358&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.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.