Pilot Debrief

Cessna 120 near Pomona, MO — 2018-08-06

Final reportCEN18LA317
Sign in to save
Date
2018-08-06
Location
Pomona, MO, USA
Aircraft
Cessna 120
Registration
N76524
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The pilot's inadequate fuel management, which resulted in fuel starvation and a forced landing.

NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that he departed the airport for the local flight with both wing fuel tanks full of fuel and the fuel selector on the left tank. After flying for about 1 hour, he landed at the airport and departed again. When the airplane was about 500 ft above ground level, the pilot intended to change the fuel selector to the right fuel tank. However, he inadvertently switched the fuel selector to the off position, and the engine lost power. The pilot immediately switched the fuel selector back to the left fuel tank and attempted to restart the engine without success. He executed a forced landing to a field, and, during the landing rollout, the airplane collided with a fence and hay bale, which resulted in substantial damage. The pilot mismanaged the fuel during flight, which resulted in fuel starvation.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have verified fuel selector position before takeoff.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 4 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents4

Related mishaps