- Date
- September 28, 1991, 12:40 local (16:40 UTC)
- Place
- Palm Beach, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1669YCessna 172C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 9, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910928043579A
- Case key
- 32933
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
Total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, and failure of the pilot to refuel before departure. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of total experience in becoming lost/disoriented, and operation with known deficiencies in equipment.
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 plt became disoriented during a cross-country flt but during course correction, the eng quit due to fuel exhaustion. The acft was substantially damaged during the forced landing. The plt stated that the lt fuel gauge was malfunctioning before the flt. The acft was operated 3.8 hrs since fueling.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1669Y
- Reported as
- Cessna 172C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17249369
- Airframe hours
- 4,929
- Engine
- Continental O-300D2D, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Kenneth Poteet Flying Serv Inc
- Registered owner
- Kenneth Poteet Flying Serv Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 20, 1991 · 59 hours before
- Departed
- VNC · Venice, FL
- Destination
- SUA · Stuart, FL
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 70 total · 40 in this make and model · 15 as pilot in command · 31 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.