# NTSB DEN02LA066: Cessna 172M, N725EC, Hite, UT, June 29, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 29, 2002, 12:30 local (18:30 UTC) - Place: Hite, UT - Coordinates: 37.442222, -110.569725 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.4422&lon=-110.5697&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 3 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 6, 2002 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 55115 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN02LA066 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/55115/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=55115 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN02LA066 ## Probable cause the pilot's improper in-flight planning resulting in fuel exhaustion. A factor relating to the accident was the unsuitable terrain encountered during the forced landing attempt. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, cruise - 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) - weather condition - tailwind - terrain condition - ditch ## Analysis The pilot reported that he was about 30 miles away from the airport when the airplane's engine lost power. He said he tried to find a place to land. The pilot said, "I found a very small dirt road, so I turned base and then final for it. We had a big tailwind at this point and we overshot the road. I then turned to the right and set it down in the middle of the desert. The landing was soft until we ran out of room and hit a ditch. We almost stopped and the front tire dug in, and it lifted us straight up and then we rolled over slowly on to the top of the plane." In his statement to a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector, the pilot said that he ran out of fuel. An examination of the airplane's fuel system showed no fuel in the tanks. No other pre-impact anomalies were found. ## Factual narrative On June 29, 2002, at 1230 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N725EC, piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged when it nosed over on an open dessert area following a forced landing attempt, near Hite, Utah. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was operating without a flight plan under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot and two passengers on board the airplane reported no injuries. The cross country flight originated at Boulder, Colorado, at 0915, and was en route to Halls Crossing, Utah. The pilot reported that he was about 30 miles away from the airport when the airplane's engine lost power. He said he tried to find a place to land. The pilot said, "I found a very small dirt road, so I turned base and then final for it. We had a big tailwind at this point and we overshot the road. I then turned to the right and set it down in the middle of the desert. The landing was soft until we ran out of room and hit a ditch. We almost stopped and the front tire dug in, and it lifted us straight up and then we rolled over slowly on to the top of the plane." In his statement to a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector, the pilot said that he ran out of fuel. An examination of the airplane showed the airplane's nose gear broken aft and resting near a 2 foot deep ditch. The firewall showed buckling. The fiberglass cap of the vertical stabilizer was crushed downward. One of the two propeller blades was bent aft. Flight control continuity was confirmed. An examination of the airplane's engine and engine controls showed no anomalies. An examination of the fuel system showed no fuel in the tanks. There was no smell of fuel prevalent at the site. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N725EC](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N725EC), registered now, S/N 17260842, built 1972 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 172M - Registry model: [Cessna 172M](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172m) (registry code 2072418) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 17260842 - Engines: Lycoming O-360 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: David L. Metzger - Registered owner: Christopher G. Hedge - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: 1V5, Boulder, CO - Destination: U96, Halls Crossing, UT ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 27; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, unknown; last flight review March 31, 2001; seat: left; flight hours: 140 total, 135 in this make and model, 150 as pilot in command, 5 in the last 90 days, 2 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 50° at 7 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 91 °F, dew point 32 °F - Altimeter: 30.07 inHg - Observed at: PGA, 52 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 20020629014829A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020629014829A), Jun 29, 2002: Cessna 172M, Hite, UT, No damage. (.19) On June 29, 2002, at 1230 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N725EC, piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged when it nosed over on a… ## Docket (2 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 29, 2002, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=55115. 339 KB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 300 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40447812&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Master.PDF - Supplement S (item 2, .PDF, 39 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40169040&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Supplement%20S-Master.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.