Cessna 172G accident near Collins, Missouri, March 22, 2006
On March 22, 2006 at about 6:57 pm local time, a Cessna 172G, registered N4444L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Collins, Missouri. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inaccurate fuel consumption calculations that resulted in fuel exhaustion, and the loss of engine power during cruise flight. An additional cause was the pilot's improper in-flight decision to continue when he believed his fuel gauges were erratic and unreliable.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 22, 2006 · about 6:57 pm local time
- Place
- Collins, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172G · all 172Gs on the register
- Registration
- N4444L · no longer on the register · serial 17254537
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot made a forced landing to a grass field following a loss of engine power during cruise flight. The airplane's tail section impacted a fencepost and barbed-wire during the forced landing. The pilot reported that the airplane had 34 gallons (31 gallons usable) of fuel prior to departure. The pilot visually confirmed that both fuel tanks were empty after the accident. The elapsed time between the first ATC communication, and when the pilot reported the loss of engine power was 3 hours, 57 minutes. According to the Cessna 172G owner's manual, the published fuel consumption rate at 7,500 feet msl and 70% brake horsepower (bhp) was 7.8 gallons/hour. The pilot reported that his preflight planning assumed a fuel consumption rate of 6.1 gallons/hour, at 7,000 feet msl and 2,300 engine rpm (52% bhp). The pilot told a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector that the fuel quantity gauges had become "erratic" during the accident flight, and that he thought they were "unreliable."
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 318 hours in all; 215 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 278 as pilot in command; 11 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,465.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FSD Sioux Falls SD at 3:03 pm
- Destination: SGF Springfield MO
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,700 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.30 inHg
- Observation at 6:52 pm from SGF, 35 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.