Pilot Debrief

CESSNA R182 near Mt. Morris, IL — 2014-01-25

Final reportCEN14CA124
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Date
2014-01-25
Location
Mt. Morris, IL, USA
Aircraft
CESSNA R182
Registration
N6359T
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, which resulted from the pilot's inadequate pre-flight planning and decision-making.

NTSB narrative

The commercial rated pilot was repositioning the airplane from Texas to Wisconsin, with an intermediate stop in Missouri. He said he departed Texas with 88 usable gallons of fuel and flew for 3 hours and 10 minutes before landing in Missouri. The pilot purchased 30 gallons of fuel in Missouri but was unsure how many gallons were in the tanks when he departed since he did not visually check the tanks. While en route to Wisconsin, the pilot encountered severe turbulence and a strong crosswind. The pilot said that as he approached his destination airport, the fuel gauges were getting "lower and lower." He said that when he was about 20 minutes from landing (about 2 hours and 45 minutes into the flight), the engine ran out of gas and stopped producing power. The pilot made a forced landing to a snow covered field, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and firewall. According to a mechanic that recovered the airplane, no leaks were observed in the airplane's fuel system and about one pint of fuel was drained from the left wing fuel tank and the right wing fuel tank was empty.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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