- Date
- August 1, 2007, 17:20 local (21:20 UTC)
- Place
- Kennesaw, GA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N177RVCessna 177RG
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 28, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20070801017119A
- Case key
- 66354
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 inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion during approach.
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
While on a short cross-country flight, the pilot contacted an air traffic control tower, at an airport that was not his intended destination. The pilot reported that he was approximately 5 miles north of the airport, low on fuel, and requested to land quickly. The air traffic controller instructed the pilot to enter a left base leg for runway 9. The pilot subsequently stated that he was out of fuel, and declared an emergency. The air traffic controller advised the pilot that the airplane was 2 miles north of the airport, and asked if the pilot was in the vicinity of a highway. The pilot replied that he was "stalling," and the airplane impacted a wooded area in a nose-down attitude. Examination of the wreckage revealed that there was no fuel in the fuel tanks, and no evidence of fuel throughout the fuel system. In addition, there was no evidence of a fuel leak.
Factual narrative
On August 1, 2007, about 1720 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 177RG, N177RV, was substantially damaged during a forced landing in Kennesaw, Georgia. The certificated private pilot was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that originated from Athens Airport (AHN), Athens, Georgia, about 1630; destined for Cartersville Airport (VPC), Cartersville, Georgia. No flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulation Part 91.
A National Transportation Safety Board investigator was flying near the accident site, and monitoring the air traffic control tower (ATCT) frequency at Cobb County Airport (RYY), Atlanta, Georgia. The Safety Board investigator report that at approximately 1710, the accident pilot contacted the RYY ATCT, and stated that he was approximately 5 miles north of RYY, low on fuel, and requested to land quickly. The air traffic controller instructed the pilot to enter a left base leg for runway 9. The pilot subsequently stated that he was out of fuel, and declared an emergency. The air traffic controller advised the pilot that the airplane was 2 miles north of RYY, and asked if the pilot was in the vicinity of Cobb Parkway. The pilot replied that he was "stalling," and no further transmissions were received from the accident airplane.
The pilot suffered critical injuries, and could not recall the accident. The pilot reported a total flight experience of 237.5 hours; of which, 13.4 hours were in the same make and model as the accident airplane.
The airplane impacted a wooded area in a nose-down attitude. Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that there was no fuel in the fuel tanks, and no evidence of fuel throughout the fuel system. In addition, the FAA inspector did not observe any evidence of a fuel leak.
The reported weather at RYY, at 1724, was: wind from 150 degrees at 3 knots; visibility 10 miles; scattered clouds at 6,000 feet; broken ceiling at 7,500 feet; temperature 32 degrees Celsius (C); dew point 18 degrees C; altimeter 29.95 inches of mercury.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N177RV
- Reported as
- Cessna 177RG
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 177RG1307
- Airframe hours
- 3,978.2
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Eric P Ward
- Registered owner
- Hilltop Ventures Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 2007
- Departed
- AHN · Athens, GA
- Destination
- VPC · Cartersville, GA
- Airport
- RYY · Cobb County Airport, runway 9, 6,305 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 23
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 1, 2006
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 238 total · 13 in this make and model · 155 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- RYY, 2 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.