- Date
- May 18, 1995, 10:54 local (14:54 UTC)
- Place
- Sanford, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3722LCessna 172G
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 23, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950518011849A
- Case key
- 37767
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 failure to maintain airspeed during a forced landing resulting in an inadvertent stall and subsequent in-flight collision with terrain. Contributing to the accident was a total loss of engine power while descending due to fuel exhaustion, and the pilot's inaccurate fuel calculations for the flight.
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 he experienced a total loss of engine power while descending. A forced landing was made to an open area. The airplane stalled and collided with the ground. Examination of the fuel system by recovery personnel revealed one gallon or less of fuel was present in the left and right fuel tank. No fuel was present in the gasculator. Review of the operators manual indicates there is 1.5 gallons of unusable fuel in the left and right fuel tank.
Factual narrative
On May 18, 1995, about 1054 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172G, N3722L, registered to HRN Wings Inc., leased to Aviation Training Associates, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, experienced a reported loss of engine power in cruise flight. The airplane crashed during a forced landing to an open field about 3 miles east of Central Florida Regional Airport, Sanford, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The commercial pilot was not injured. The flight originated from Boca Raton, Florida, about 1 hour 24 minutes before the accident.
The pilot stated he made a power on descent from 4,500 feet agl to 2,500 feet agl without using carburetor heat. He started to descend to 1,000 feet agl, and the engine started running rough. The carburetor heat was turned on, and the fuel selector valve was moved to the right fuel tank. The engine quit, and the fuel selector valve was moved back to the left fuel tank, and an engine restart was attempted with negative results. The fuel selector valve was moved to the both position, and an engine restart was attempted with negative results. A forced landing was made to an open area. The airplane stalled, and collided with the terrain.
The President of Aviation Training Associates Inc., stated the airplane was refueled on May 17, 1995, and had 31 gallons of fuel on board at takeoff. The airplane was dispatched with a starting tachometer reading of 20.49, and a Hobbs meter reading of 130.10. The tachometer reading at the crash site was 24.17, and the Hobbs meter reading was 133.7. This equates to 3.68 hours of tachometer flight time, and 3.6 hours of Hobbs flight time. Review of N3722L refueling records over a 6 month period of time indicates N3722L average fuel burn rate is 9.1 gallons of fuel per hour. Examination of the fuel system by recovery personnel revealed 1 gallon or less of fuel was present in the left and right fuel tank. Examination of the engine assembly and accessories was conducted by the FAA on May 18, 1995. No fuel was present in the gascolator.
The Information Manual for the Cessna 172, Section 2, Description and Operating Details, states usable fuel all flight conditions is 18 gallons. The total volume of fuel in each fuel tank is 19.5 gallons.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3722L
- Reported as
- Cessna 172G
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17253891
- Airframe hours
- 4,308
- Engine
- Continental O-300-A, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Aviation Training Associates
- Registered owner
- Hrn Wings Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 12, 1995 · 11 hours before
- Departed
- BCT · Boca Rotan, FL
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
- 33
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 405 total · 90 in this make and model · 360 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SFB, 3 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.