Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 172E near West Milford, NJ — 2010-04-03

Final reportERA10FA202
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Date
2010-04-03
Location
West Milford, NJ, USA
Airport
4N1
Aircraft
CESSNA 172E
Registration
N5528T
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1
Phase of flight
Takeoff roll

Probable cause

The complete loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

NTSB narrative

The airplane had remained outside and unused for several years before it was purchased by two co-owners, through an individual acting as an aircraft broker, about 4 weeks prior the accident. One co-owner held a private pilot certificate, and the other held a student pilot certificate; neither held an aircraft mechanic's certificate. About 2 weeks after the purchase, the co-owners and a mechanic drove to the airport to examine the airplane, with the reported intent to fly it about 75 miles back to the home airport of the pilot-rated co-owner. Some maintenance activity and a brief test flight were conducted, but mechanical and weather difficulties prevented the relocation of the airplane that day. The following week the three returned to the airplane, and the pilot and mechanic flew it to the pilot's home airport. The next week, the pilot flew the airplane to the student pilot's home airport, and the two then departed, with the student pilot in the left seat. It could not be determined what roles or actions were conducted by either of the individuals during the flight. That flight ended several minutes later, when the airplane impacted a wooded area in a residential neighborhood. First responders noticed a slight odor of fuel; one fuel tank was breached and contained no fuel, and the other, intact tank contained only a trace amount of fuel. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the fuel strainer contained cloudy fuel contaminated by water and other unidentified contaminants and that the carburetor accelerator pump gasket was deformed. The general overall appearance of the airplane was consistent with it not being well-maintained, but no evidence of any preimpact airframe discrepancies that would have precluded normal flight was observed. The only fuel purchase that could positively be associated with the airplane indicated that 17 gallons were added on the day of the test flight, 2 weeks before the accident. Calculations that used the manufacturer's fuel consumption rates indicated that the total fuel consumption for the period between that last verified fueling and the accident flight ranged from a low of 13 gallons to a high of 32 gallons. The manufacturer specified a total usable fuel quantity of 39 gallons, but the total fuel on board after the last verified fueling could not be determined.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Failure to ensure adequate fuel before departure from MGJ.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 24 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents24

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