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WPR23LA127

2023-03-11 · Lewiston, Idaho, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport LWS

Current FAA registration · N7010Q

Make / Model
CESSNA 172L
Engine
LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19711221
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A95AAC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The flight instructor’s inadequate fuel planning and improper in-flight decision-making, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

Factual narrative

The flight instructor reported that, he planned to complete back-to-back flight lessons with two students. His students completed the preflight inspection and each tank measured about half full. The flight instructor verified that the fuel gauges indicated sufficient fuel for both lessons. During the second flight lesson with a student pilot at the controls, the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and force-landed on a golf course. The airplane collided with trees during landing, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing. The flight instructor reported that the airplane ran out of fuel, and that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid level
  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Instructor/check pilot
  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Instructor/check pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_WPR23LA127.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (fuel exhaustion). All research papers