Cessna 172F accident near Bradley, California, August 15, 1995
On August 15, 1995, a Cessna 172F, registered N5563R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bradley, California. 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
fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's failure to refuel prior to takeoff and his delayed decision to proceed to his alternate airport. The night light conditions and the lack of a suitable emergency landing area were factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 15, 1995
- Place
- Bradley, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172F · all 172Fs on the register
- Registration
- N5563R · no longer on the register · serial 17253154
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS DIVERTING DUE TO WEATHER TO AN ALTERNATE AIRPORT WHEN HE RAN OUT OF FUEL. THE PILOT WAS RETURNING FROM A PERSONAL CROSS-COUNTRY NIGHT FLIGHT. HE STATED THAT HE DID NOT REFUEL BECAUSE HE CALCULATED THAT HE HAD ENOUGH FUEL FOR THE RETURN FLIGHT. UPON REACHING HIS FINAL DESTINATION HE FOUND THE AIRPORT WAS FOGGED IN. HE SPENT ABOUT 1/2 HOUR IN THE GENERAL AREA ANALYZING THE SITUATION AND CHECKING ANOTHER PRIVATE AIRSTRIP BEFORE DIVERTING TO ANOTHER AIRPORT KNOWN TO BE VFR. HOWEVER, BEFORE REACHING THE ALTERNATE AIRPORT, THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND DURING THE FORCED LANDING IN A SOFT, PLOWED FIELD, THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 348 hours in all; 348 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 323 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,263 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 17, 1995; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PTV Porterville CA at 3:45 am
- Destination: KIC King City CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 260° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 600 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:35 am from PRB, 16 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.