Cessna 175 accident near Needles, California, June 16, 2013
On June 16, 2013 at about 1:00 am local time, a Cessna 175, registered N9370B, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Needles, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot’s inadequate fuel planning. Contributing to the severity of the front passenger’s injuries was the pilot’s decision to depart with more passengers than available seats, which resulted in an adult and a child passenger sharing a seatbelt. Contributing to the severity of the rear passenger’s injuries was the failure of the unapproved modified seat installation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 16, 2013 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Needles, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 175 · all 175s on the register
- Registration
- N9370B · no longer on the register · serial 55170
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight with three passengers on board. The pilot reported that, during cruise flight, the engine began to "sputter" and subsequently lost power. As the airplane began to descend, the pilot began to set it up for best glide airspeed to initiate an emergency landing. The airplane subsequently impacted desert terrain short of the intended landing site. Postaccident examination of the airframe, engine, and fuel system revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. First responders reported seeing no visible signs of fuel nor smelling fuel around the airplane. Further, wreckage recovery personnel reported that there was no fuel in the fuel system. The pilot did not provide a statement about the airplane's fuel quantity at the time of departure; however, the evidence indicates that fuel exhaustion caused the loss of engine power. The investigation revealed that, although the airplane was manufactured with four seats, the airplane was only equipped with three seats: the pilot seat, the front passenger seat, and the rear passenger seat. Therefore, there were more passengers than available seats, which led to an adult and a child older than 2 years being seated together in the front passenger seat and sharing the seatbelt. According to federal regulations, an approved safety belt with an approved metal-to-metal latching device is required for each occupant 2 years of age or older; the adult passenger sustained serious injuries, likely because she was sharing the seat with the child. The rear seat, which was occupied by one passenger, was attached to the floor via a "homemade" mounting frame constructed with a welded hollow pipe structure that had mounting points to attach the seat; this structure failed during the impact sequence, which resulted in the passenger sustaining serious injuries. No approval paperwork for the modified seat installation was found during the investigation.
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
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Modification/alteration › Pilot
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Fuselage › Seat/cargo attach fitting › Failure
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Equipment/furnishings › (general) › Not installed/available
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor GO-300 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TSP Tehachapi CA at 10:30 pm
- Destination: PRC Prescott AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 9 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 106°F (41°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.70 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| LapC | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 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.