Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Shenandoah Valley Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Weirs Cave, Virginia 24486
Sunday, March 9, 1997 20:12 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
After refueling the airplane with 43.1 gallons of fuel, the pilot departed at 1645, for the return cross-country flight. Twenty miles from his destination, the engine began running rough. The pilot applied carburetor heat, and the situation remedied itself. Shortly thereafter, at 2012, the engine stopped completely. The airplane impacted the terrain in a partially wooded field about 3 miles north of his destination. Minimum (residual) fuel was found during a post-accident examination of the airplane. A Federal Aviation Administration Inspector stated that there were no signs of fuel stains on the wreckage to indicate that fuel was leaking from the fuel tanks, or from elsewhere. The pilot stated that he had 52 gallons of fuel for flight planning purposes. The Cessna owner's manual indicates the total fuel capacity was 52 gallons, with 43 gallons usable. The cruise performance chart in the owner's manual indicated that at 5,000 feet altitude with a 72% power setting and the mixture rich, the engine would use 12.3 gallons of fuel per hour, with an endurance time of 3.5 hours.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
the pilot's inadequate preflight planning/preparation, and inaccurate fuel calculations, which resulted in fuel exhaustion, loss of engine power, and a forced landing. Darkness and high vegetation in the forced landing area were related factors.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 3/9/1997 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 2012 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | WEIRS CAVE |
| Event State | VIRGINIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 24486 |
| Event Date Year | 1997 |
| Event Date Month | 3 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | SHENANDOAH VALLEY |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | SHD |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1912 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 180 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | SHD |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 1201 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 3 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 9000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 8 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -3 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 190 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 9 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 17 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 2 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1453 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Mar 11 1997 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1555 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 8 2000 12:10PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N9485B |
| NTSB Number | IAD97LA053 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Cessna |
| Aircraft Model | 175 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 175 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 55285 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2350 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Unknown |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | SFS AIRCRAFT PARTNERSHIP |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 505 CAMPBELL RD |
| Aircraft Owner City | KESWILK |
| Aircraft Owner State | VA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 22947 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | SHENANDOAH FLT SVC INC. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | MMU |
| Departure City | MORRISTOWN |
| Departure State | NJ |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1645 |
| Departure Time Zone | EST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | SHD |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | VA |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Emergency landing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |