- Date
- March 3, 1989, 00:15 local (06:15 UTC)
- Place
- Bastrop, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7407TCessna 172
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890303003139A
- Case key
- 22845
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
Inadequate preflight planning and preparation by the pilot which resulted in fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident were the low ceilings and fog.
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 non-instrument rated pilot received two weather briefings and was told VFR flight was not recommended. He flew to two towns which were both IFR, then to another, where he let down through the clouds. He was circling a town, when the engine quit due to fuel exhaustion. During the forced landing roll, the airplane ran into trees.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7407T
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 47007
- Airframe hours
- 3,921
- Engine
- Continental O-300-C, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Mid Tex Controls, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 4, 1988 · 35 hours before
- Departed
- 30F · Dallas, TX
- Destination
- HRL · Harlingen, TX
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 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 620 total · 500 in this make and model · 25 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 55 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N7407T · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.