Event WPR12CA172

Factual narrative

The pilot landed after completing an aerial application to a field, and planned on refueling the airplane while the application tank was reloaded. He noted that among other distractions, he was having problems with his global positioning system (GPS), and began discussing it with another pilot. The pilot reported that after takeoff, he realized that he did not have the ground crew refuel the airplane. The destination field was close, so he decided to continue rather than return and fuel the airplane. The fuel gages indicated 1/4 capacity at takeoff, and were bouncing around 1/8 capacity after he completed two passes. The engine subsequently lost power due to fuel exhaustion, and the pilot landed in a flat field, which was wet and soft. During the landing roll, the airplane nosed over, substantially damaging the vertical stabilizer and rudder. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot landed after completing an aerial application to a field, and planned to refuel the airplane while the application tank was reloaded. He said that among other distractions, he was having problems with his global positioning system, and began discussing it with another pilot. The pilot reported that after takeoff, he realized that he did not have the ground crew refuel the airplane. He said that the destination field was close, so he decided to continue rather than return and refuel the airplane. He indicated that the fuel gauges indicated 1/4 capacity at takeoff and were bouncing around 1/8 capacity after he completed two passes. The engine subsequently lost power due to fuel exhaustion, and the pilot landed in a flat field, which was wet and soft. During the landing roll, the airplane nosed over, substantially damaging the vertical stabilizer and rudder. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid level - C
• F Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Forgotten action/omission-Pilot - F
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Wet/muddy-Effect on operation
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Pilot - C
• F Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Attention-Pilot - F