Cessna 172F accident near Haleyville, Alabama, September 4, 2005
On September 4, 2005 at about 11:57 pm local time, a Cessna 172F, registered N5320R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Haleyville, Alabama. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilots inadequate preflight of the fuel tank resulting in a total loss of engine power in cruise flight due to fuel exhaustion, resulting in a forced landing, and nose over on landing roll out.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 4, 2005 · about 11:57 pm local time
- Place
- Haleyville, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172F · all 172Fs on the register
- Registration
- N5320R · no longer on the register · serial 17252844
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated during the preflight inspection that the left and right fuel gauge indicated a quarter tank of fuel. The pilot did not visually check the fuel tank or stick the fuel tank before departing on the flight. While in cruise flight at 1,500 feet MSL, the engine sputtered and lost. The pilot stated he looked at the left and right fuel gauge and they both indicated empty. The pilot made a forced landing to an open field and the airplane collided with a burrow and flipped over. The pilot stated, "there were not a mechanical malfunction, he simply failed to ensure he had sufficient fuel on the airplane during the preflight inspection."
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 3,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,209 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2005; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1M4 Haleyville AL at 11:42 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from MSL, 27 miles away
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.
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.