Cessna 172 accident near Soldotna, Alaska, May 5, 2001
On May 5, 2001 at about 8:55 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N5530T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Soldotna, Alaska (Soldotna airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to refuel the airplane, and subsequent fuel exhaustion. A factor in the accident was an inadvertent stall during an emergency descent/landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 2001 · about 8:55 pm local time
- Place
- Soldotna, Alaska · Soldotna · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N5530T · registry record · serial 17251430
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The day before the accident, the private certificated pilot with one passenger, departed on a cross-country flight, but encountered poor weather conditions along the route. The pilot elected to land on a roadway and spent the night at a lodge. The following day, the pilot departed from the road without adding fuel, and headed for his destination. As the flight approached the destination airport, the airplane was cruising about 1,500 feet. About 4 miles from the airport, the engine lost power, and the pilot headed for an ultralight landing strip, located adjacent to the main destination runway. The runway surface was occupied by vehicles and pedestrians and the pilot began a turn to the left. About 20 feet above the ground, the airplane stalled and descended to the ground in a nose down attitude. The fuel selector was found on the left tank. The left fuel tank did not contain any fuel. The right fuel tank contained a small amount of fuel. The pilot said he always leaves the fuel tank selector on "BOTH" but the selector must have inadvertently been moved during the flight. During the emergency, the pilot said he did not check the position of the fuel selector.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all; 384 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 2,372 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 4, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,751 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 11, 2001; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Cantwell AK at 1:30 pm
- Destination: PASX Soldotna AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7U, 1,500 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,900 ft; a few clouds at 4,400 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.80 inHg
- Observation at 4:15 pm from PASX
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N5530T the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC01LA054.