Cessna 172N accident near Victoria, Mississippi, August 1, 1996
On August 1, 1996 at about 6:08 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N737DK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Victoria, Mississippi. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper fuel management resulting in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 1, 1996 · about 6:08 pm local time
- Place
- Victoria, Mississippi
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N737DK · no longer on the register · serial 17269336
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated he was in cruise flight at 4,000 feet in radio contact with Memphis Tower, when the engine quit. He informed Memphis Tower that he had run out of gas. He made a forced landing to an open field. The airplane collided with trees on final approach, nosed over, and came to rest inverted. The left and right fuel tanks were not ruptured. About 1 1/2 gallons of fuel was present in the right fuel tank, and about 3 quarts of fuel was present in the left fuel 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 963 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 963 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,221 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 22, 1996; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Venture Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: ORO Columbia MS at 3:42 pm
- Destination: OLV Olive Branch MS
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:30 pm from MEM, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.