Neglected maintenance proves fatal for C172 pilot

The private pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight in a Cessna 172.

Fuel records indicated he had purchased 9.56 gallons of fuel the day before the accident. A witness reported observing the pilot use fuel cans to add fuel to both airplane’s fuel tanks.

The witness saw the pilot taxi up and down the runway multiple times and subsequently depart. He then drove to a nearby airport — the pilot’s intended destination — to pick up the pilot.

When the pilot did not arrive, he reported the airplane missing.

Responders tracked the emergency locator transmitter signal, and a helicopter pilot spotted the airplane in a field near a tree line near Jay, Oklahoma. Airplane damage was consistent with impact with trees and inverted impact with terrain. The pilot died in the crash.

Upon examination, the propeller blades did not exhibit any chordwise abrasions or leading edge nicks, consistent with the engine not producing power at the time of impact.

The fuel system was found intact except for a separated line near the left fuel tank. About six gallons of a blue-colored liquid consistent with the smell and color of avgas was recovered from the right fuel tank. About two gallons of liquid consistent with avgas was recovered from the left fuel tank.

Each fuel tank could hold 21 gallons of fuel, of which 2.5 gallons was unusable.

There was some liquid consistent with avgas found in the carburetor bowl and in the firewall-mounted strainer bowl.

All liquid samples were tested for water contamination, and no water contamination was observed.

The fuel valve selector handle was found in the “right tank” position. However, no securing pin was installed in the selector handle, and during post-accident examination, pressurized air applied to the main fuel line at the firewall was observed discharging from the left tank’s fuel line, which showed the selector valve fed the engine from the left tank.

The engine operated normally during post-accident engine test runs.

Based on the evidence, it is likely that the engine was starved of fuel when the fuel selector handle did not move the fuel selector valve to the desired position because the necessary securing pin was missing.

The airplane’s most recent annual inspection was completed about 8.5 years before the accident. The lack of routine maintenance on the airplane likely eliminated the necessary opportunities for the missing securing pin to be corrected.

Probable cause: The pilot’s negligent maintenance of the airplane, which resulted in improper fuel management, fuel starvation, and a loss of engine power during takeoff due to a missing securing pin in the fuel selector handle, and a subsequent forced landing on unsuitable terrain.

NTSB Identification: CEN17FA085

This January 2017 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.