- Date
- October 7, 1996, 09:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Mesa, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1332YCessna 172C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19961007031139A
- Case key
- 29655
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 improper use (positioning) of the fuel selector, which resulted in fuel starvation and loss of engine power.
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
About 20 minutes after takeoff, the engine began running rough. The pilot attempted to correct the problem, but was unsuccessful. While attempting a precautionary landing, the engine lost power, and the pilot was forced ro land in a field. During the rollout, the aircraft struck a ditch and nosed over. The fuel selector was positioned on the right tank. Approximately 9 gallons of fuel was drained from the left tank, but the right tank was empty. The fuel was similar in color and odor to auto gas. No STC for auto gas was reported for the aircraft.
Factual narrative
On October 7, 1996, about 0900 hours mountain standard time, a Cessna 172C, N1332Y, made a forced landing in an agricultural field short of the landing runway at Williams Gateway Airport in Mesa, Arizona. The aircraft sustained substantial damage; however, the private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The aircraft was operated as a local area personal flight by the pilot/owner when the accident occurred. The flight originated in Chandler, Arizona, about 0830 on the morning of the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot reported that the aircraft had been parked on the ramp for some time and that he had planned on a local flight to warm up the engine. While at 4,000 feet msl, about 20 minutes after takeoff, the engine began running rough. He attempted to correct the problem by checking the fuel, switching tanks several times, adjusting the mixture, and applying carburetor heat. As the roughness became more severe, he contacted Chandler tower and began to fly towards the Williams Gateway airport. He was planning to make a precautionary landing at Williams Gateway when the engine quit and he initiated a forced landing. During the rollout, the aircraft struck a cement-lined irrigation ditch, shearing off the nose gear, and nosing the airplane over onto its back. The aircraft came to rest in an alfalfa field about 1,000 yards short of the airport.
FAA airworthiness inspectors found the fuel selector positioned on the right tank. The right tank was visually inspected and found to be dry. Recovery personnel reported draining 9 gallons of fuel from the left tank. The fuel was both similar in color and odor to auto gas. No STC for auto gas was reported for the aircraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1332Y
- Reported as
- Cessna 172C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17249032
- Airframe hours
- 2,346
- Engine
- Continental O-300-C, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Donald C. Keitel
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 15, 1996 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- P10 · Chandler, AZ
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
- 56
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 828 total · 756 in this make and model · 776 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FFZ, 11 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.