- Date
- July 3, 1993, 17:00 local (Jul 4, 1993, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Moccasin, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7875TCessna 172A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 15, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930703022199A
- Case key
- 27980
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
Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's failure to perform fuel consumption calculations. Factors related to this accident were: the pilot's inadequate preflight or inflight planning and preparation.
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 did not perform any preflight or en route fuel calculations for the flight. The pilot landed at an airport to pickup a passenger. While returning to the initial departure airport, the engine sustained a total loss of power. During the subsequent forced landing, the airplane collided with a ravine. A post accident exam of the fuel tanks found only residual fuel remaining. An FAA operations inspector calculated an endurance of 4.5 hours possible. The total elapsed tachometer time was 5.0 hours. The pilot said he ran out of fuel in a post crash interview.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7875T
- Reported as
- Cessna 172A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 47475
- Airframe hours
- 3,686
- Engine
- Continental O-300-C, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Stephen R. Fairchild, doing business as Columbia Aviation
- Registered owner
- Stephen R. Fairchild
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 3, 1993
- Departed
- 022 · Columbia, 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
- 20
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 140 total · 50 in this make and model · 5 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MOD, 35 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.