Cessna 182Q N5117N

Summary

On 18 October 1996 at about 00:20 local time, a Cessna 182Q registered N5117N was involved in an accident near Pocatello, Idaho, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 October 1996 at 00:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Pocatello, Idaho, United States

Coordinates

42.8995, -112.3896

Aircraft

Cessna 182Q

Registration

N5117N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Idaho Falls → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA97LA017

1 person had minor injuries.

inadequate preflight by the pilot, which resulted in fuel exhaustion, due to an inadequate supply of fuel. Soft terrain at the emergency landing site was a related factor.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The aircraft lost engine power while inbound for landing after a cross-country flight, and it nosed over during the ensuing forced landing. The pilot had flown several legs before the accident flight, and did not refuel at any en route stops. Both wing tanks were found empty, and no fuel was found in the gascolator. The pilot provided a statement including departure and arrival times and fuel on board for each of four legs. He stated that he used a calibrated dipstick to check fuel before his last departure on the 42-mile return flight. He said that the fuel remaining at that time was 19 gallons. Unusable fuel was 4 gallons. An inquiry to a Civil Air Patrol safety officer revealed that the dipstick was homemade; its accuracy was not determined. No mechanical discrepancy was found with the aircraft. There was evidence of inadequate consideration by the pilot concerning the accuracy of the dipstick calibration. Also, there was evidence that the aircraft may not have been in a level attitude when the dipstick readings were made.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.