Cessna 172RG accident near Stamford, Connecticut, December 21, 1996
On December 21, 1996 at about 1:15 am local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N4829V, was destroyed in an accident near Stamford, Connecticut. 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
inadequate preflight by the pilot, which resulted in fuel exhaustion, due to an inadequate fuel supply of fuel. Darkness and trees in the emergency landing area were related factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 21, 1996 · about 1:15 am local time
- Place
- Stamford, Connecticut
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N4829V · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0394
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed at night on a cross-country flight. After the airplane had climbed to 3,500 feet and had leveled about 8 miles from the airport, the engine lost power. The pilot selected a lighted street for a forced landing. During the landing, the airplane collided with trees and was damaged. The pilot did not verify the airplane's fuel load before he departed on the cross-country flight. The airplane had been flown 5.3 hours since the last refueling. Examination of the airplane did not disclose evidence of a mechanical malfunction. No usable fuel was found in the airplane's fuel system, and there was no evidence of a fuel spill. According to the airplane's information manual, the maximum time endurance, at 75 percent power, was about 5.3 hours.
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: 515 hours in all; 46 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 473 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,448 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 3, 1996; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,658 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Coporate Air Charter
The flight
- Departed from: HPN White Plains NY at 1:00 am
- Destination: PVD Providence RI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 290° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 21°F (-6°C), dew point 7°F (-14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:45 pm from HPN, 15 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.