Cessna 172N accident near Columbia, South Carolina, November 3, 2004
On November 3, 2004, a Cessna 172N, registered N4874G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Columbia, South Carolina (Columbia Metropolitan Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning of fuel required for the flight, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and 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
- November 3, 2004
- Place
- Columbia, South Carolina · Columbia Metropolitan Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N4874G · no longer on the register · serial 17273421
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot declared a "mayday" 17 miles northeast of Columbia Metropolitan Airport, at 4,500 feet and stated that his engine had lost power and that he was going to land in a parking lot. The airplane collided with power lines and the ground. The post-accident examination of the fuel system revealed no fuel in either wing fuel tank, trace amounts of fuel in the fuel strainer, and trace amounts of fuel in the fuel line from the fuel strainer to the carburetor. A functional check of the engine was accomplished and it produced power at idle and 1000 RPM. The airplane was last topped off with fuel on October 31, 2004, and had flown 4.1 hours since that refueling. On the same day of the accident the pilot also completed a total of three takeoffs on the same fuel load. At 75 % engine power, the airplane has an endurance of 3.9 hours.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,700 hours in all; 4 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,083.4 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 27, 2004
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IGX Chapel Hill NC at 11:10 pm
- Destination: CAE Columbia SC
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 200° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 18,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N4874G the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.