Cessna 172-B accident near Palatka, Florida, October 13, 2000
On October 13, 2000 at about 1:21 pm local time, a Cessna 172-B, registered N7894X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Palatka, Florida (Kay Larkin airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The CFI's inadequate preflight planning which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the subsequent loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 13, 2000 · about 1:21 pm local time
- Place
- Palatka, Florida · Kay Larkin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172-B · all 172-Bs on the register
- Registration
- N7894X · no longer on the register · serial 17248394
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, while on the fourth touch-and-go approach, the engine lost power and quit about 3/4 of a mile short of the runway. The pilot selected a forced landing area and attempted a landing on a nearby road. During the approach to land the airplane collided with an automobile. The on-scene examination of the airplane revealed that less then one gallon of fuel remained in both fuel tanks. No mechanical malfunctions or failures were found during the engine examination.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: gyroplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,285 hours in all; 49 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 3,103 as pilot in command; 436 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,487 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2000; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D-6DR (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 26J Crescent City FL at 12:30 pm
- Destination: 28J
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 3,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from KGN, 36 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.