N127EPCessna 172P · 1985

The pilot planned to perform a 15-minute-long local flight in the airport traffic pattern. During his preflight inspection, he visually checked the fuel quantity in both the left and right tanks, observing there was fuel inside that appeared to be an adequate amount. He did not measure or otherwise quantify the amount of fuel but did see that the fuel quantity gauges in the cockpit indicated 10 gallons. Shortly after departure, during the climbing left turn to crosswind, the engine stopped producing power. He turned back toward the airport and attempted to land on the runway, but there was a tailwind, and the airplane was too fast and high above the ground to safely land so he attempted a forced landing in a mature cabbage field. The airplane’s nose landing gear subsequently collapsed, and the resulting impact resulted in substantial damage to the airplane’s fuselage and right wing.

Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that both of the intact fuel tanks were absent of fuel, and when the electrical system was turned on, the fuel quantity gauges in the cockpit indicated 1/8 and 1/4-full for the left and right tank respectively. Following the accident, the pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and stated that the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion. He further stated that the fuel in the tanks looked like it was deeper than it was due to an optical illusion.

During a scheduled 100 hour inspection, maintenance personnel discovered structural damage to the airplane’s firewall. According to the flight school’s records, there were 77 flights in the accident airplane from the previous 100 hour inspection that took place on May 8, 2012 and July 18, 2012, when the damage was discovered. A total of 91.4 flight hours were accumulated between those inspections. The flight school was never notified of an event that would have possibly caused the firewall damage. The actual time and date of the accident is unknown.