- Date
- April 30, 2019, 19:00 local (May 1, 2019, 03:00 UTC)
- Place
- Wasilla, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3031UCessna 172
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Loss of engine power (total)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 20, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190430015169A
- Case key
- 99356
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 flight instructor's failure to verify the fuel level, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and a subsequent forced landing and collision with a power line pole. Contributing to the accident was the student pilot's inadequate preflight fuel planning.
Findings · 5
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The flight instructor reported that, during the preflight inspection, he asked the student pilot, who was the owner of the airplane, how much fuel was onboard the airplane and that the student replied that there was enough fuel for about 3 hours of flight. He added that, during the flight, he became concerned about the fuel level because he saw that the right fuel gauge needle displayed "little movement." After a brief conversation with the student about the fuel burn, the instructor decided to return to the airport. The student stated that he visually checked the fuel tanks during the preflight and estimated that there was about 1/2 tank (19 gallons), which was enough for about 2.5 hours of flight based on a fuel burn of 7.5 gph. The student reported that, during the flight, the instructor commented that the fuel gauge looked low and that he responded that it was working "intermittently," at which point, the instructor decided to return to the airport. The student reported that, about 5 nautical miles from the airport, the airplane "ran out of fuel at 3,000 ft MSL [mean sea level]." Subsequently, the instructor landed the airplane on a road, and the right wing struck a power line pole. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor reported that during the preflight inspection, he asked the student how much fuel was on board the airplane, and the student replied, about three hours of fuel. During the flight, the instructor observed that the right fuel gauge needle displayed, "little movement." After a brief conversation with the student regarding fuel burn, the instructor decided to return to the airport. The student pilot was the owner of the airplane, and he reported that when the instructor asked about the fuel gauge during the flight, the student replied that the fuel gauge "works intermittently." The student pilot reported that, about 5 nautical miles from the airport, the airplane "ran out of fuel at 3,000ft MSL." The instructor landed the airplane on a road, and the right wing struck a powerline pole. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3031U
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (E)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17250631
- Built
- 1963
- Airframe hours
- 2,562
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 28, 2018
- Departed
- PAWS · Wasilla, AK
- Destination
- PAWS · Wasilla, AK
- Equipment
- None
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 66
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 87 total · 87 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.39 inHg
- Observed at
- PAWS, 3 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 4, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.9 MB in all.
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 N3031U · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.