- Date
- February 25, 2001, 03:30 local (08:30 UTC)
- Place
- Suffolk, VA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N46115Cessna 172I
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report July 30, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO-21
- FAA report
- 20010225039419A
- Case key
- 51830
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The pilot's improper in-flight planning/decision and his failure to refuel, which resulted in fuel exhaustion.
Analysis
After a 4 hour cross county flight, about 5 miles north-northwest of the destination airport, the pilot reported the airplane "ran out of gas" and had lost engine power. During a forced landing to a road, the airplane struck a vehicle and stop sign. The pilot stated he encountered "a little more headwind then was predicated;" however, he felt enough fuel remained in the airplane to reach his destination. Examination of the airplane revealed that the left and right fuel tanks were "dry." The pilot obtained his private pilot license in December of 2000, and had accumulated about 100 hours of total flight experience.
Factual narrative
On February 25, 2001, about 0330 Eastern Standard Time, a Cessna 172I, N46115, was substantially damaged during a forced landing in Suffolk, Virginia. The certificated private pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan had been filed for the flight that departed Long Island Mac Arthur Airport (ISP), Islip, New York, about 2340, and was destined for the Hampton Roads Airport (PVG), Portsmouth, Virginia. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the airplane was about 5 miles north-northwest of PVG, and communicating with Norfolk Air Traffic Control, when the pilot reported the airport in site, and cancelled his VFR flight plan. Shortly thereafter, the pilot reported the airplane "ran out of gas" and had lost engine power. During a forced landing to a road, the airplane struck a vehicle and stop sign.
In a written statement, the pilot stated he encountered "a little more headwind then was predicated." When the airplane was south of Salisbury, Maryland, the left fuel gauge read "E", and the right fuel gauge read "just about 1/2." The pilot said that he felt enough fuel remained in the airplane to reach PVG.
Examination of the airplane by the FAA inspector revealed that the left and right fuel tanks were "dry."
The pilot obtained his private pilot license in December of 2000, and had accumulated about 100 hours of total flight experience.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N46115
- Reported as
- Cessna 172I
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17257049
- Airframe hours
- 6,683
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Aviation Mega Bucks Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 4, 2001 · 100 hours before
- Departed
- ISP · Islip, NY
- Destination
- PVG · Portsmouth, VA
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- PVG · Hampton Roads
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
- 40
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- December 13, 2000
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 107 total · 107 in this make and model · 46 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 0° at 0 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.35 inHg
- Observed at
- cpk, 15 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.