In preparation for a local revenue sightseeing flight with two passengers, the pilot performed a preflight inspection of the Cessna 172 and used a generic fuel quantity dipstick that required converting the observed quantity to an actual quantity using a conversion chart.
The pilot told investigators that he inadvertently arrived at an inaccurate quantity. Instead of the 12 gallons of fuel he believed was on board, the airplane likely only had 6 to 7 gallons.
About 20 minutes into the scheduled 30-minute flight, the engine lost power completely. The pilot made a forced landing to a beach near Eastham, Massachusetts.
During the landing roll the nose landing gear collapsed, resulting in substantial damage to an engine mount tube.
As part of the recovery from the beach, less than 1.5 gallons of fuel were drained from both of the airplane’s intact fuel tanks. A post-accident check of each fuel quantity indicating system revealed each gauge indicated empty with the fuel sending unit fully extended.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection of the airplane’s fuel quantity, which resulted in total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
To download the final report. Click here. This will trigger a PDF download to your device.
This June 2024 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.
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