Cessna 172F accident near Fort Pierce, Florida, May 6, 2001
On May 6, 2001 at about 7:55 pm local time, a Cessna 172F, registered N8664U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Pierce, Florida (Saint Lucie County 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
a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion which resulted in a forced landing, and subsequent impact with a sign and a ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 6, 2001 · about 7:55 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Pierce, Florida · Saint Lucie County · 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
- N8664U · no longer on the register · serial 17252567
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot added 10 gallons of fuel at Key West. He was told that the airplane burned 8 gallons of fuel per hour by senior members of his flying club. After 2 hours 40 minutes of flight the engine quit. He executed an emergency landing on a road and clipped a street sign with the wing. The airplane then went into a ditch, about 3 miles south of his intended landing airport. No fuel was found in the airplane's fuel tanks and no leaks were found. The pilot reported that he had a total 106 flight hours in all aircraft, and 48.8 hours in this make and model aircraft.
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: 106 hours in all; 49 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 65 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 22, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,247.8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 20, 2001; 25 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: EYW Key West FL at 5:20 pm
- Destination: Fort Pierce FL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 09, 6,492 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 11 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 7:52 pm from FPR, 3 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.