Cessna 172N accident near Fort Wayne, Indiana, February 1, 1997
On February 1, 1997 at about 3:02 am local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N4696G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Wayne, Indiana (Fort Wayne Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadequate fuel management and fuel system exhaustion. A factor involved was the inadequate in-flight planning/decision.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 1, 1997 · about 3:02 am local time
- Place
- Fort Wayne, Indiana · Fort Wayne Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N4696G · no longer on the register · serial 17273322
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight originated from Hendersonville, North Carolina, at 1730 est with the intended destination of Elkhart, Indiana. The pilot said that on final approach to runway 23 at Fort Wayne Municipal Airport, he lost power and discovered that he was out of fuel. 1.5 gallons of clean blue fuel was drained from the fuel filter. The Pilot's Operating Handbook states a total unusable fuel as 3 gallons.
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
- Flight time: 149 hours in all; 130 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,862 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 10, 1997; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,307 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0A7 Hendersonville NC at 10:30 pm
- Destination: EKM Elkhart IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 12,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 260° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,100 ft; ovct at 3,100 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 am from FWA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N4696G 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.