Cessna 172M accident near Mccall, Idaho, June 22, 2009
On June 22, 2009 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N12463, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (descent) near Mccall, Idaho. 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
A total loss of engine power during descent due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's failure to determine the fuel quantity prior to departure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 22, 2009 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Mccall, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N12463 · no longer on the register · serial 17261998
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot, who had flown into a backcountry airstrip with minimal fuel in order to reduce the airplane's takeoff weight, departed that airstrip for a destination that was reporting overcast clouds. He made the decision to do so because he heard pilots had reported some openings in the overcast layer that might allow him to descend through the clouds as he neared his destination. When he got near the destination, he discovered that there was no way through the overcast so he returned to the backcountry airstrip. The next day he decided to follow a group of pilots to the same planned destination, but by another route that he was not familiar with. When the other pilots started their engines, the accident pilot realized that he had not yet dipped his fuel tanks to measure fuel quantity, and that the ladder that he needed to perform that function was under camping gear in the airplane. Therefore, so as not to get separated from the pilots he was going to follow en route, he elected to not sump the tanks prior to departure. As he approached the destination airport, one fuel gauge read empty, and the other read one-quarter, but its needle had stopped moving/bouncing, which the pilot thought was a, "…bad sign." Soon thereafter the engine lost all power, and although the pilot tried to stretch the glide to the destination airport, he ultimately had to make a forced landing in what appeared to be an open field. During the landing roll, the airplane impacted some cement barrier blocks and collided with a steel fence gate. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions at the time of the accident. Postaccident inspection found no usable fuel remaining in the airplane's fuel system.
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
What happened, in order
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute (descent) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (descent)
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wall/barricade › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Contributed to outcome
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 145 hours in all; 127 in this make and model
- Last flight review: December 18, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,548 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 19, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3U2 Yellow Pine ID at 2:35 pm
- Destination: KMYL Mccall ID
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,250 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.