Cessna R172K accident near Llano, Texas, June 15, 2002
On June 15, 2002 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna R172K, registered N758W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Llano, Texas (Llano 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 failure to refuel the airplane, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 15, 2002 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Llano, Texas · Llano Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R172K · all R172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N758W · no longer on the register · serial R1723029
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, he performed a pre-flight inspection and noted that the left fuel tank's gauge indicated empty and the right fuel tank's gauge indicated 1/3 to 1/2 full. He started the airplane, taxied to runway 17 for takeoff, and performed an engine run-up. No anomalies were noted during the engine run-up, and the flight departed. The flight remained in the pattern and the pilot executed a touch-and-go landing. During the initial takeoff climb, approximately 200 feet agl, the engine lost power. During the ensuing forced landing to a field, the pilot verified that the fuel selector was in the both position, the throttle and mixture controls were full forward, and that his passenger's lap belt and shoulder harness were secure. The airplane landed in a mesquite covered field, the right wing struck a tree, the airplane pivoted 90 degrees and came to a stop upright. Both fuel tanks were drained; the left tank was empty and the right tank contained 2.1 gallons of fuel. According to the Pilot's Operating Handbook each wing tank is capable of holding 26 gallons of fuel. The fuel system's capacity is 52 gallons, of which 49 gallons are useable in all flight conditions and 3 gallons are unusable.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,277 hours in all; 856 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 1,171 as pilot in command; 10 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 18, 1997
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,177 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 10, 2002; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-KB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6R9 Llano TX at 3:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 4,202 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from BMQ, 22 miles away
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.
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.