Cessna 140 accident near Vacaville, California, January 12, 2004
On January 12, 2004 at about 2:30 am local time, a Cessna 140, registered N77S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Vacaville, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to either obtain a preflight weather report and forecast for the destination or to add additional fuel, which ultimately resulted in fuel exhaustion and collision with trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 12, 2004 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Vacaville, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N77S · registry record · serial 11013
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane experienced a loss of power and collided with a tree during a forced landing. Earlier in the day the pilot had flown from Vacaville to Napa, and the accident flight leg was to return to Vacaville. Prior to departure, the pilot calculated that he had about 1 hour's worth of fuel on board the airplane to complete the short 15-minute trip and leave a 45-minute reserve. As the airplane approached the vicinity of the destination airport in dark night conditions, the pilot obtained the automated weather observation station (AWOS) report and discovered that the weather conditions were deteriorating at the destination airport. When he arrived over the airport he noted that a fog layer had engulfed the airport and surrounding terrain. While maneuvering, the pilot exhausted both fuel tanks and the engine subsequently quit. He established a gliding configuration, and the airplane descended into the fog about 700 feet above ground level (agl). The airplane collided with a small tree and then encountered a berm. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane at the accident site and reported finding the left fuel tank empty; he drained 3 quarts of fuel from the right tank.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 831 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 750 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 7, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,331 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 14, 2003; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KAPC Napa CA at 1:30 am
- Destination: KVCB Vacaville CA
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 110° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: vv at 100 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 am from VCB, 2 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.