- Date
- November 21, 1985, 19:34 local (Nov 22, 1985, 03:34 UTC)
- Place
- Stockton, CA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3459TCessna 177
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851121076239A
- Case key
- 25021
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
After performing a preflight inspection of his acft, the PIC along with a CFI who was acting as his safety plt, and another passenger departed. The CFI reportedly had logged over 19,000 hours & possessed an ATP certificate. The PIC did not report having any mechanical failure/malfunction with any acft component, & stated that the acft's fuel gauges functioned properly. During a practice NDB approach, the fuel gauges registered 'empty' & all eng pwr was lost. The PIC made a forced landing in a vineyard five miles from the destination airport. The left tank's fuel cap was not located at the landing site.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3459T
- Reported as
- Cessna 177
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17700759
- Airframe hours
- 1,374
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Kenneth V. Miselis, M.D.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 29, 1985 · 103 hours before
- Departed
- 020 · Lodi, CA
- Destination
- SCK · Stockton, CA
- Airport
- SCK · Stockton
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
- 34
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 422 total · 64 in this make and model · 341 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SCK, 5 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.
Other investigations on N3459T · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.