Cessna 172 accident near Valkaria, Florida, January 31, 1998
On January 31, 1998 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N6261E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Valkaria, Florida (Valkaria airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadequate preflight, and subsequent loss of engine power, due to fuel exhaustion, which resulted in a forced landing and impact with trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 31, 1998 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Valkaria, Florida · Valkaria · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N6261E · registry record · serial 46361
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was on a short flight to buy fuel at Valkaria. The pilot reported that at a cruise altitude of about 1,500 feet, the engine began to sputter. He said that before he departed, '...my fuel indicators were showing, left tank between 1/2-1/4 and right just above 1/4 tank...I did not dip my tanks.' About 6 miles from the destination airport, the airplane's engine 'sputtered.' He switched to the left tank, the right tank, then back to both tanks. He tried both magnetos, and the problem did not clear. The engine then was 'windmilling.' The pilot elected to make a forced landing in a field, and the airplane struck a tree with the left wing. Examination of the airplane revealed, no fuel in either tank. Examination of the engine did not reveal any discrepancies.
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: 182 hours in all; 124 in this make and model; 182 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,154 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1997; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X26 Sabastian FL at 8:15 pm
- Destination: X59
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,800 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from MLB, 10 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.
Other NTSB records under N6261E the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.