Cessna 175-235 accident near Mint Hill, North Carolina, November 29, 1999
On November 29, 1999 at about 2:00 am local time, a Cessna 175-235, registered N7145M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mint Hill, North Carolina (Goose Creek 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 PIC's improper preflight fuel planning and preparation and the PIC's improper en route fuel consumption calculations resulting in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and damage to the aircraft during the subsequent forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 29, 1999 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Mint Hill, North Carolina · Goose Creek · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 175-235 · all 175-235s on the register
- Registration
- N7145M · no longer on the register · serial 55445
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Following about 2.5 hours of banner towing in the Washington, DC/Baltimore area, the flight landed at Mitchellville, Maryland, and pumped 21 to 22 gallons of fuel aboard for the return to their home base of Goose Creek Airport, Mint Hill, North Carolina. The landing approach to Goose Creek appeared high, and the PIC decided to go around for a second attempt. As power was being added for the go around, the engine quit and the PIC gave the controls to the SIC/safety pilot, who conducted a forced landing to a vacant field. A total of 5 to 10 gallons was found in the wreckage, and the type certificate data sheets state that 9 gallons is unusable. The engine operated satisfactorily during a factory test cell run.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 203 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 11 in the last 30 days; 155 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,800 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 26, 1999; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: W00 Mitchellville MD at 11:15 pm
- Destination: 28A Goose Creek NC
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 22, 2,300 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 150° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 am from CLT, 21 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.