Cessna 172 accident near Portland, Oregon, October 11, 2010
On October 11, 2010 at about 1:55 am local time, a Cessna 172, registered N738GN, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Portland, Oregon (Portland International 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 inspection and failure to ensure adequate fuel was onboard for the flight, which resulted 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
- October 11, 2010 · about 1:55 am local time
- Place
- Portland, Oregon · Portland International Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 N · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N738GN · no longer on the register · serial 17269967
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Prior to flight, the pilot looked inside the fuel tanks and noted that they appeared to be full; however, he did not recall how far down the fuel was from the fuel cap. The pilot departed from the airport and flew northwest 19 minutes to an airport to conduct a stop and go landing and takeoff. After departing that airport, he proceeded south for 2 hours 17 minutes to a second airport to do a full-stop landing. When he departed the second airport toward his final destination, the pilot estimated he had about 13 gallons of fuel remaining for the 48-minute flight. About 7 miles south of his final destination, the engine lost power. The pilot attempted to restart the engine and was successful for a short time before the engine lost power again. The pilot executed a forced landing into a nearby school yard. The total distance for the flight was about 391 miles with an estimated 3 hour 24-minute run time for the engine, without factoring in the wind, delays, and time spent on the ground. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no fuel in the right wing tank, approximately 1 gallon in the left wing tank, and about 1 ounce of fuel in the fuel line leading to the engine. There were no breaches in the fuel system. The Pilot Operating Handbook for the airplane stated that the airplane’s unusable fuel level was 1.5 gallons. Additionally, given the performance parameters of the accident flight, the airplane's engine would have burned approximately 7.5 gallons per hour and had a maximum range of 485 miles and 4.1 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
What happened, in order
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Loss of engine power (total) during approach defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, foreign licence
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 466 hours in all; 79 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 358 as pilot in command; 15 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 30, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,536 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 8, 2010; 77 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Snohomish Flying Services
The flight
- Departed from: EUG Eugene OR at 1:00 am
- Destination: PDX Portland OR
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 280° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from PDX, 7 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N738GN 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.