Cessna 172C N1437Y accident near Nortonville, North Dakota

Probable cause

The pilot's inadequate preflight which resulted in insufficient fuel on board to complete the flight. A factor associated with the accident was the soft terrain encountered during the forced landing.

NTSB analysis

Prior to takeoff the pilot checked the fuel quantity using the gauges which were indicating a quarter tank of fuel on the left side, and a half tank of fuel on the right side. He did not visually check the quantity by looking in the tanks. The pilot recalled that approximately 50 minutes into the flight, the left fuel tank was indicating less than one-eight of a tank, and the right tank was indicating between one-quarter and one-half of a tank. He stated that shortly thereafter the engine stopped producing power. He checked the magnetos and switched fuel tanks, but did not apply carburetor heat. When he switched the fuel selector to the right fuel tank position, the engine momentarily "seemed like it would start, but it did not." The pilot lined the airplane up to land on a road, then noticed power lines crossing the road. He then selected an open field in which to land. He maneuvered the airplane to line up parallel with the plowed rows, and said he did not have enough time to extend the flaps. The airplane nosed over when the nose wheel dug into the soft terrain. Postaccident inspection of the airplane revealed a total of less than 1-quart of fuel was on the airplane. There was no indication of fuel leaking from the airplane following the accident.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CHI08CA157 for the full record.