Pilot Debrief

Cessna 182D near Chehalis, WA — 2008-05-25

Final reportSEA08LA139
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Date
2008-05-25
Location
Chehalis, WA, USA
Aircraft
Cessna 182D
Registration
N8855X
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion caused by a missing fuel tank cap that allowed the fuel to be siphoned out. Also causal was the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection at the last airport.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he landed at an airport along his route of flight to refuel. The airport was out of fuel and the pilot decided to continue his flight without refueling. While en route, the engine lost power and the pilot initiated a forced landing to a field. During the landing roll, the airplane collided with the foundation of an old structure. Post-accident inspection of the airplane found that the left wing fuel cap was missing. Blue colored streaking was observed on the top of the left wing, flap and side of the fuselage. Approximately a half gallon of fuel was present in the right fuel tank. The left fuel tank was empty. The fuel cap was later found near the fueling station at the airport where the pilot had attempted to refuel the airplane.

NTSB coding

View NTSB final report

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