- Date
- August 15, 1995
- Place
- Bradley, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5563RCessna 172F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report February 8, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950815024109A
- Case key
- 29188
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 refuel prior to takeoff and his delayed decision to proceed to his alternate airport. The night light conditions and the lack of a suitable emergency landing area were factors.
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 stated that he was diverting due to weather to an alternate airport when he ran out of fuel. The pilot was returning from a personal cross-country night flight. He stated that he did not refuel because he calculated that he had enough fuel for the return flight. Upon reaching his final destination he found the airport was fogged in. He spent about 1/2 hour in the general area analyzing the situation and checking another private airstrip before diverting to another airport known to be VFR. However, before reaching the alternate airport, the engine lost power and during the forced landing in a soft, plowed field, the airplane nosed over.
Factual narrative
On August 15, 1995, about 2400 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172F, N5563R, was substantially damaged during an emergency landing near Bradley, California. Neither the pilot nor his passenger were injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the departure from Porterville, California. However, instrument meteorological conditions existed at the destination, King City, California. No flight plan was filed.
The pilot stated that he was diverting due to weather to an alternate airport when he ran out of fuel. The pilot was returning from a personal cross-country night flight. He stated that he did not refuel because he calculated that he had enough fuel for the return flight. Upon reaching his destination he found the airport was fogged in. He spent about 1/2 hour in the general area analyzing the situation and checking another private airstrip before diverting to another airport known to be vfr.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5563R
- Reported as
- Cessna 172F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17253154
- Airframe hours
- 4,263
- Engine
- Continental O-300-D, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Silva, Burton L.
- Registered owner
- Burton L. Silva
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 17, 1995 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- PTV · Porterville, CA
- Destination
- KIC · King City, 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
- 46
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 348 total · 348 in this make and model · 323 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 260° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PRB, 16 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.