Cessna 170B accident near Henderson, Nevada, April 29, 2001
On April 29, 2001 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N2567C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Henderson, Nevada (Henderson Executive Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot to refuel the airplane, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a forced landing in rough terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 29, 2001 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Henderson, Nevada · Henderson Executive Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2567C · no longer on the register · serial 26211
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
In a telephone interview, the pilot stated that he left Henderson approximately 1230 for the local flight. He stated that he took off with an estimated 15 to 18 gallons of fuel onboard. There were no records indicating that the airplane had been fueled prior to the flight. He practiced flight maneuvers and three wheel landings at a nearby dry lake bed and then landed at Jean, Nevada, airport for a 20-minute rest stop. He did not fuel the aircraft at Jean airport, which had fuel service available. He stated that during his return to Henderson, the engine slowed down and stopped approximately 3 miles from the airport. He attempted a restart. The engine restarted and ran for about 1 minute and stopped again, resulting in a forced landing 1 mile short of the airport in rough desert terrain. He stated that the accident happened at 1400. This would indicate a flight time of 1 hour 10 minutes. According to the owner's manual for the airplane, the maximum fuel consumption at sea level with the mixture leaned is 12.5 gallons per hour. At a cruise altitude of 5,000 feet with mixture leaned, the fuel consumption is 9.6 gallons per hour. The airplane holds 42 gallons of fuel in two wing tanks. The useable fuel is 37 gallons. This leaves approximately 2.5 gallons of unusable fuel in each wing tank, which would result in 13 gallons available when the airplane initially departed.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 3,288 hours in all; 24 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 3,207 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 11, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,696 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 30, 2001; 4.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-145-2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: L15 Henderson NV at 12:30 pm
- Destination: Henderson NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 5,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 7:56 pm from KLAS, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.