- Date
- March 11, 2023, 11:15 local (19:15 UTC)
- Place
- Lewiston, ID · Golf course
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N7010QCessna 172L
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20230311010689A
- Case key
- 106883
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 flight instructor’s inadequate fuel planning and improper in-flight decision-making, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The flight instructor reported that, he planned to complete back-to-back flight lessons with two students. His students completed the preflight inspection and each tank measured about half full. The flight instructor verified that the fuel gauges indicated sufficient fuel for both lessons. During the second flight lesson with a student pilot at the controls, the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and force-landed on a golf course. The airplane collided with trees during landing, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing. The flight instructor reported that the airplane ran out of fuel, and that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7010Q
- Reported as
- Cessna 172L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17260310
- Built
- 1971
- Airframe hours
- 4,223
- Engine
- Lycomming O-320-E20, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Mosman Matthew J
- Registered owner
- Mosman Matthew J
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 19, 2022 · 69 hours before
- Departed
- KLWS · Lewiston, ID
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- LWS
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 71
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 21, 2022
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 4,560 total · 950 in this make and model · 4,407 as pilot in command · 108 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 13 total · 13 in this make and model · 13 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,900 ft broken
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- KLWS, 1 nm away
- METAR
- KLWS 111936Z 02007KT 10SM BKN049 OVC065 08/M01 A2995 RMK AO2 T00781006
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 7, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.2 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N7010Q · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.