Cessna 172 accident near Miramar, Florida, September 28, 2021
On September 28, 2021 at about 2:38 am local time, a 1966 Cessna 172, registered N4118L, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Miramar, Florida. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor’s inadequate preflight and inflight fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Contributing to the flight instructor’s injury was her failure to wear the shoulder harness.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 28, 2021 · about 2:38 am local time
- Place
- Miramar, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 G, built 1966 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N4118L · registry record · serial 17254187
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane’s fuel tanks were filled to capacity and the airplane was flown 1.2 hours before the flight instructor and student pilot departed on the accident flight. The student and instructor flew to a nearby airport, where they performed 11 stop-and-go landings, then departed to return to the departure airport. About 3 miles from the airport, the engine lost total power. The instructor switched the fuel selector from BOTH to the LEFT, then RIGHT tank positions, but engine power was not restored. The airplane impacted trees and a stop sign during the forced landing, resulting in substantial damage. The flight instructor reported that she was not wearing a shoulder harness, which contributed to the extent of her injury. Based on the hour meter, the airplane was operated about 4.5 hours since the fuel tanks had been filled. Following the accident, about 2.5 gallons of fuel were drained from the left fuel tank, which was 1 gallon more than the unusable amount, and no fuel was noted in the right fuel tank. The fuel strainer and carburetor bowl were absent of fuel. Based on the available information, the loss of engine power was the result of fuel starvation. The instructor stated that she did not use the fuel dipstick to confirm fuel quantity before departing on the flight. Had she done so, it is likely that she would have noted the airplane’s fuel state and fueled the airplane before returning to the departure airport, thus preventing the accident.
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
What happened, in order
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Instructor/check pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Instructor/check pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 81.6 hours in all; 41.8 in this make and model; 41.8 in the last 90 days; 25.4 in the last 30 days; 11.4 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 993 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 86 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 831 as pilot in command; 573 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 20, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,370.5 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 17, 2021; 30.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 3,048 hours total
- Operator: Jacobs Flight Services LLC
The flight
- Departed from: APF Naples FL at 2:10 am
- Destination: HWO Pembroke Pines FL
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 020° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,300 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from KHWO, 2 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KHWO 280253Z AUTO 02004KT 10SM BKN043 26/19 A3005 RMK AO2 SLP176 T02560189 50005
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
10 documents, released by the NTSB on July 26, 2023. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 - Submitted by Student Pilot | PDF, 13 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 - Submitted by Flight Instructor | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 - Submitted by Operator | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Statement from Student Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Record of NTSB Conversations | PDF, 16 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Documents from Operator | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Memorandum for Record - Airframe and Engine Inspection Following Recovery | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 9 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 10 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.