- Date
- April 15, 1989, 12:27 local (19:27 UTC)
- Place
- Victorville, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8174TCessna 175
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 2, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890415012209A
- Case key
- 26380
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 conduct an adequate preflight and assure the proper quantity of fuel on board for the proposed flight.
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 aircraft owner was not a pilot and engaged the services of a local pilot to fly the aircraft from a maintenance facility to its home base. The pilot assumed that the owner was a pilot that just was not current and observed the owner conduct the preflight. The pilot verbally confirmed the adequacy of fuel for the flight with the owner. The owner estimated one half tanks by fuel gauge, visual, and dip stick indications. The aircraft did not have any evidence of fuel on board after the forced landing and the departure fuel was estimated to be 10 gallons.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8174T
- Reported as
- Cessna 175
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17556874
- Engine
- Continental GO-300-D, 175 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Bruffett, Blair A., Sr.
- Departed
- LO5 · Kernville, CA
- Destination
- DAG · Daggett, CA
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
- 42
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 2,100 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VCV, 15 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 N8174T · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.