According to the pilot, before departure, the Cessna 172 contained about 24 to 26 gallons of fuel, and a pre-takeoff engine run-up detected no anomalies.
Shortly after takeoff, when the airplane was about 100 to 200 feet above ground level, the engine sputtered and experienced a total loss of power.The pilot attempted to land on the runway at Llano, Texas, but the plane touched down in the overrun area, bounced, and landed hard.
The plane was examined a couple of days after the accident, and no fuel was found in the airplane. However, damage to the plane likely resulted in fuel seeping from the tanks and into the ground before the examination.
The NTSB determined the probable cause as the total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because examination of the engine did not reveal any evidence of pre-impact failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.
NTSB Identification: CEN14LA217
This April 2014 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Nice thing about leap year, you get on gravity free day. You just don’t know which day it is.
Bad headline
GRAVITY brought down aircraft.
Unexpected engine failure and possible pilot poor decisions set the stage for the end results of GRAVITY working 24x7x365