- Date
- May 25, 1990, 15:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Brentwood, CA
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5714TCessna 172E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 10, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900525017609A
- Case key
- 26822
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 improperly calculated the fuel consumption causing the airplane to sustain a total loss of power due to fuel exhaustion.
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
While enroute to napa, CA, the acft sustained a total engine power loss due to fuel exhaustion. The pilot reported that he topped the fuel tanks 2 days before the accident. He flew the airplane on a 20 minute flt fm corona arpt to sna arpt. He departed sna and flew to harris ranch, abt a 2.2 hr flt, and then onto napa. The plt had placed the fuel selector on the both posiiton on the flt to napa. After reaching the cruising alt the pilot selected the right tank. Abt 1.1 hrs later when the flt was between navy's crows landing and stockton, CA the right tank's fuel was totally consumed. The plt switched tanks and elected to land at concord. When the airplane was approaching Brentwood, abt 0.3 hours later the airplane sustained total fuel exhaustion. The flt times noted are estimated based on an average ground speed of 97 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5714T
- Reported as
- Cessna 172E
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17251614
- Airframe hours
- 3,567
- Engine
- Continental O-300-C, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Charles A. & Lela R. Barlow
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 26, 1990 · 45 hours before
- Departed
- 308 · Coalinga, CA
- Destination
- APA · Napa, 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
- 64
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 146 total · 100 in this make and model · 146 as pilot in command · 46 in the last 90 days · 39 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.