Cessna 172N accident near Jensen, Utah, October 15, 2000
On October 15, 2000 at about 1:02 am local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N738CW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jensen, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an undershoot due to misjudging distance/altitude during an emergency landing. Factors were: inadequate preflight, failure to refuel, fuel exhaustion, operating with an inoperative fuel gauge, and failure to attain a proper glide path during approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 15, 2000 · about 1:02 am local time
- Place
- Jensen, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N738CW · no longer on the register · serial 17269881
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While on a round robin cross-country flight, the engine lost all power and the pilot attempted to make an emergency landing on a 1,800 foot long private airstrip. The approach was high and fast and the pilot attempted to turn the aircraft around and land in the opposite direction. He ended up landing hard, on rough terrain, about 200 feet short of the runway. Examination of the aircraft following the accident revealed the only fuel remaining was unusable fuel in each tank. The pilot said he did not physically check the fuel quantity prior to departure and that one of the two fuel gauges was inoperative.
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: 151 hours in all; 71 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 106 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,330 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2000; 192 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VEL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 118°F (48°C), dew point 93°F (34°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.