- Date
- September 13, 1997, 11:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Crimora, VA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5272XBellanca 7GCBC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 15, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970913038029A
- Case key
- 39433
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 mismangement of fuel which resulted in fuel exhaustion. Contributing was his inadequate preflight planning that resulted in an inadequate fuel supply..
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 student pilot reported that he checked the fuel tanks before departure and determined they were three-quarters full. He then departed on a cross-country flight. After 45 minutes of flight, the engine lost power. He overshot his chosen landing area, and struck a power pole. The FAA examined the airplane and found 3 gallons of fuel remaining. The pilot had a total time of 13.8 hours with 4.5 hours as pilot-in-command. The fuel capacity of the airplane was 39 gallons with 1 gallon unusable.
Factual narrative
On September 13, 1997, about 1130 eastern daylight time, a Bellanca 7GCBC, N5272X, was substantially damaged during a forced landing in Crimora, Virginia. The certificated student pilot received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the solo cross-country training flight which departed from Whitman Strip Airport, Manassas, Virginia, about 1045. No flight plan had been filed for the flight which was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The NTSB Form 6120.1/2 was received on April 22, 1998. It was unsigned, and only contained partial pilot information. All information received came from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
An inspector from the FAA reported that the student pilot was on a cross-country flight to Waynsboro, Virginia, when the engine lost power. The student pilot attempted to perform a forced landing to an open field; however, the airplane was too high and overflew the field. The airplane then struck a power pole and came to rest 30 feet from a residence in a rural area. The aft fuselage was bent, and both wings were damaged with the rear wing spar fractured. A total of 3 gallons was found remaining in the two fuel tanks.
Additionally, the FAA reported that the departure airport did not have fuel. The student pilot had dipped the tanks and reported that they were 3/4 full prior to departure.
The student pilot had purchased the accident airplane on September 4, 1997. He had accumulated a total time of 13.8 hours at the time of the accident, with 4.5 hours of solo time. His student pilot certificate was endorsed for solo cross-country flight, but no specific airports were listed. His fight instructor had not reviewed his pre-flight planning or endorsed his log book for the flight.
According to the FAA Type certificate data sheet for the 7GCBC, the total fuel capacity was 39 gallons with 1 gallon unusable.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5272X
- Reported as
- Bellanca 7GCBC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 197
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James M. Fox
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 1996
- Departed
- 05V · Manassas, VA
- Destination
- W13 · Waynesboro, VA
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
- 32
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Unknown
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 14 total · 14 in this make and model · 5 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.