Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 182K near Las Vegas, NV — 2021-03-18

Final reportWPR21LA184
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Date
2021-03-18
Location
Las Vegas, NV, USA
Airport
VGT
Aircraft
CESSNA 182K
Registration
N2548R
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Descent

Probable cause

A total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

NTSB narrative

The pilot verified that the airplane contained 26 gallons of fuel, divided evenly between the two wing tanks, and did not observe any evidence of a fuel leak prior to departing on the 30-minute flight. During the flight, he observed the fuel quantity decrease until the indicators showed less than 3.25 gallons per side when he was about 2 nautical miles from his destination. During the landing approach, the engine lost all power, and the pilot completed a forced landing on a dirt area about 500 ft short of the runway, during which the fuselage sustained substantial damage. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed no preaccident anomalies and no breaches or obstructions to the fuel system. The pilot stated that, after he landed, he observed a slow leak from the low sump drain downstream of the fuel selector. This may have contributed to some fuel loss in flight; however, the estimated leak rate suggests that the leak is not likely to have drained the fuel tanks while inflight. It is also unclear when the leak began and what the initial leak rate was, as the pilot reported that he did not observe any fuel leaks during his two walkaround inspections before takeoff. Airport personnel who recovered the airplane after the accident reported that the airplane leaked about 1 quart of fuel before its removal from the accident site, and less than 1 gallon following its recovery. When visually examined the evening of the accident, both of the wing fuel tanks were dry. It is likely that the loss of engine power was the result of fuel exhaustion; however, whether the engine’s fuel consumption was increased, or the airplane was leaking fuel during the accident flight could not be determined due to a lack of available evidence.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot should have refueled before departure when fuel was below half full.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Video
  • Photos
  • 8 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents8

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