Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 182P near Charleston, MS — 2024-02-20

Final reportCEN24LA118
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Date
2024-02-20
Location
Charleston, MS, USA
Airport
MMS
Aircraft
CESSNA 182P
Registration
N14YY
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to attain/maintain aircraft control during an approach for landing that resulted in an impact with terrain.

NTSB narrative

The pilot was positioning the airplane for the new owner when it began to yaw left. The pilot added rudder trim to counteract the left yawing tendency of the airplane. During the flight, the pilot stated he twice switched the fuel selector from BOTH to LEFT and on both occasions fuel starvation ensued. The pilot continued the flight with the fuel selector on BOTH and diverted to an airport to avoid running out of fuel. The pilot performed two go-arounds due to the airplane’s left yawing tendency. He reported that on the third landing attempt, he knew he needed to land the airplane as he was expecting a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. He recalled fighting the airplane during the landing and had no memory of what occurred after that. A witness video showed the airplane approach and attempt two landings at high speed with the nose yawed and with the flaps retracted before it impacted the ground. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the position of the rudder trim could not be determined due to postimpact damage. The fuel system venting was normal except for the left fuel cap, which did not allow proper venting. The restricted venting of the left fuel tank would have reduced fuel flow from the left fuel tank, which was evident by the pilot’s description of fuel starvation while the fuel selection was positioned to the left fuel tank. The fuel imbalance would have induced a left rolling tendency due to greater fuel weight in the left fuel tank. The yawed attitude of the airplane during the approaches was likely due to excessive rudder trim. Even though there was a fuel imbalance, the airplane still would have been controllable. There were no other mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal aircraft operation.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have maintained fuel selector on BOTH to prevent starvation.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Video
  • ADS-B / radar
  • Photos
  • 10 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents10

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