NTSB WPR23LA320 — 2023-08-19 · Santa Rosa, California, United States

Current FAA registration · N3282L

Make / Model: CESSNA 172H
Year of manufacture: 1967 · 56 years old at event
Engine: CONT MOTOR 0-300 SER (145 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19670519
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A38EB1

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N3282L Cessna 172H None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s inadequate fuel management which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported the airplane recently had an engine upgrade and he was flying it to break in the engine. He had performed fuel calculations based on its previously consumption rate and did not realize the new engine was consuming more fuel than planned. During final approach the airplane experienced a total loss of power due to fuel exhaustion. The pilot performed a forced landing on an open field with high vegetation, substantially damaging the right wing and right horizontal stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures 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.

— Personnel issues-Task performance-Inspection-Preflight inspection-Pilot
— Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Flight planning/navigation-Pilot
— Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_WPR23LA320.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

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