- Date
- August 8, 1999, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Hot Springs, AR
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N737JPCessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 22, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990808011139A
- Case key
- 46936
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
the pilot's failure to refuel the airplane which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a total loss of engine power. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
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 pilot stated that the airplane was in cruise flight at 3,000 feet above ground level when he observed the fuel gauges indicating 'EMPTY.' The airplane was 3 miles from the airport when the engine 'sputtered' and lost power. During the ensuing forced landing to an open field, the airplane contacted a power line and came to rest nose down in the field. The pilot stated that the airplane 'ran out of fuel.' The examination of the airplane inspector revealed no fuel in either of the two wing fuel tanks, and no evidence of fuel spillage at the accident site.
Factual narrative
On August 8, 1999, at 1500 central daylight time, a Cessna 172N airplane, N737JP, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Hot Springs, Arkansas. The airplane was registered to Southern Arkansas Aero Center Inc., of Magnolia, Arkansas, and operated by a private individual. The non-instrument rated private pilot and his two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The cross-country flight originated from the Gastons Airport, Lakeview, Arkansas, at 1400.
According to the 311-hour pilot, the flight was destined for the Memorial Field Airport, Hot Springs, Arkansas, where the airplane was to be refueled. The airplane was in cruise flight at 3,000 feet agl when he observed the fuel gauges indicating "EMPTY." He stated that the fuel selector was in the "BOTH" position, and the airplane was 3 miles from the Memorial Field Airport when the engine "sputtered" and lost total power. The pilot sated that the airplane "ran out of fuel." During the ensuing forced landing to an open field, the airplane contacted a powerline and came to rest nose down in the field.
The pilot reported that the following weather conditions existed at the time of the accident: visibility 5 miles with haze, ceiling at 25,000 feet broken, temperature 98 degrees Fahrenheit, and calm winds.
An FAA inspector examined the airplane at the site and reported that the engine firewall was damaged and the fuselage was buckled. The nose landing gear separated from the airframe and the left wing tip was damaged. The FAA inspector added that fuel was not present in either of the two fuel tanks, and there was no evidence of fuel spillage at the site.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N737JP
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17269455
- Airframe hours
- 3,126
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Jim Jamison
- Registered owner
- Southern Arkansas Aero Center
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 1999 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- 3M0 · Lakeview, AR
- Destination
- HOT · AR
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
- 61
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 311 total · 37 in this make and model · 169 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 100 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HOT, 3 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.