Cessna 172L accident near Puyallup, Washington, September 30, 1998
On September 30, 1998 at about 5:20 am local time, a Cessna 172L, registered N2880Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Puyallup, Washington (Pierce County-Thun Field). 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 pilot-in-command's failure to refuel en-route resulting in fuel exhaustion. Contributing factors were a vehicle (in the landing path) and dark night conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 30, 1998 · about 5:20 am local time
- Place
- Puyallup, Washington · Pierce County-Thun Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172L · all 172Ls on the register
- Registration
- N2880Q · no longer on the register · serial 17259880
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot-in-command topped off the 42 gallon (38 gallons usable fuel) Cessna 172L but did not visually check the fuel. He then departed on a series of flights covering more than 354 nautical miles and 5.33 hours of flight time, including four intermediate stops where no fuel was added to the aircraft. Upon return to his point of origination he elected to execute a touch-and-go landing during which the aircraft's engine stopped operating on the climb-out. He then executed a forced landing under dark night conditions on a north-south thoroughfare (highway 161) and impacted a vehicle during the forced landing. Post-crash examination resulted in 2 cups of fuel being retrieved from the right wing fuel tank and 3 quarts from the left wing fuel tank. An FAA inspector on site was able to retrieve 4 drops of fuel from the gascolator following the accident.
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: 108 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 68 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,509 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 22, 1998; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BFI Seattle WA at 4:30 am
- Destination: 1S0 Puyallup WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 3,650 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 010° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 am from TCM, 8 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.