- Date
- October 22, 1992, 12:10 local (16:10 UTC)
- Place
- Great Barrington, MA
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4384NCessna 195B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 29, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921022043239A
- Case key
- 37265
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 inadequate pre-flight by the pilot ensuring fuel cap security. A factor in this accident was the pilots complacency in fuel management.
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 departed with fuel for 6 hours of flying. During cruise flight, the passenger discussed a possible low fuel condition with the pilot, due to the fuel quantity gauge indicating only one quarter full. The possibility of low fuel was rejected by the pilot. Fuel exhaustion occurred 2 hours and 50 minutes into the flight. During the forced landing to an open field the airplane struck a tree and impacted the ground. Post accident investigation by an FAA inspector revealed wet fuel stains along the right wing and fuselage of the airplane. Fuel siphoning, from the right wing cap, had occurred on previous flights, as recalled by the pilot and passenger.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4384N
- Reported as
- Cessna 195B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7021
- Airframe hours
- 4,684
- Engine
- Jacobs R755B2, 275 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- George W Gardner
- Registered owner
- George W Gardner
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 12, 1992 · 114 hours before
- Departed
- HUL · Houlton, ME
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 3,000 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.