ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 173854
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| Date: | Sunday 11 January 2004 |
| Time: | 18:30 |
| Type: |  Cessna 140 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N77S |
| MSN: | 11013 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3331 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental C-85-12 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Vacaville, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Napa, CA (KAPC) |
| Vacaville, CA (KVCB) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The airplane experienced a loss of power and collided with a tree during a forced landing. Earlier in the day the pilot had flown from Vacaville to Napa, and the accident flight leg was to return to Vacaville. Prior to departure, the pilot calculated that he had about 1 hour's worth of fuel on board the airplane to complete the short 15-minute trip and leave a 45-minute reserve. As the airplane approached the vicinity of the destination airport in dark night conditions, the pilot obtained the automated weather observation station (AWOS) report and discovered that the weather conditions were deteriorating at the destination airport. When he arrived over the airport he noted that a fog layer had engulfed the airport and surrounding terrain. While maneuvering, the pilot exhausted both fuel tanks and the engine subsequently quit. He established a gliding configuration, and the airplane descended into the fog about 700 feet above ground level (agl). The airplane collided with a small tree and then encountered a berm. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane at the accident site and reported finding the left fuel tank empty; he drained 3 quarts of fuel from the right tank.
Probable Cause: the pilot's failure to either obtain a preflight weather report and forecast for the destination or to add additional fuel, which ultimately resulted in fuel exhaustion and collision with trees.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20040114X00062&key=1
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 14-Feb-2015 20:04 | Noro | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 07-Dec-2017 17:35 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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