Cessna 177 accident near Carefree, Arizona, February 18, 2006
On February 18, 2006 at about 1:30 am local time, a Cessna 177, registered N29377, was substantially damaged in an accident near Carefree, Arizona (Sky Ranch At Carefree 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's inaccurate fuel consumption calculations and his failure to refuel the airplane prior to the accident flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 18, 2006 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Carefree, Arizona · Sky Ranch At Carefree · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177 · all 177s on the register
- Registration
- N29377 · registry record · serial 17700849
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted a road sign at night during a forced landing following a loss of engine power in cruise flight. The pilot reported that he ran out of gas and had not refueled the airplane since earlier in the week. Since that refueling the pilot conducted an additional cross-country flight and was flying his second when the accident occurred. He said he had performed some mental calculations prior to departing on the first leg of the accident flight and believed he had enough fuel to conduct both legs of the trip. However, in actuality he did not have enough fuel and the engine lost power about 30 minutes into the second leg of the flight. The pilot diverted to an airport for an emergency landing, but after realizing the airplane would not make it to the airport, he elected to land on a road marked by the tail lights of an automobile. Upon landing, the right wing impacted a road sign and the airplane veered into a ditch and brush. The pilot reported that if he had refueled prior to departing on either leg of the flight, the accident could have been averted.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 532 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 410 as pilot in command; 50 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,741.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2006; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A2F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAN Payson AZ at 2:30 am
- Destination: DVT Phoenix AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from DVT, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX06CA120.