Cessna 182Q N4784N

Summary

On 30 June 1999 at about 16:45 local time, a Cessna 182Q registered N4784N was involved in an accident near Rock Springs, North Carolina, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 June 1999 at 16:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Rock Springs, North Carolina, United States

Coordinates

35.6907, -82.5507

Aircraft

Cessna 182Q

Registration

N4784N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Asheville → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA99LA192

Nobody was injured.

**This report was modified on 2/24/2016. Refer to the public docket for this accident for additional information.** Inadequate preflight by the commercial pilot/CFI receiving instruction resulting in an in-flight loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the certified flight instructor (CFI), and the pilot receiving instruction (PRI), while climbing through 4,500 feet Mean Sea Level, the engine started to run rough. Carburetor heat was added and, "...the engine smoothed out for a few seconds, but then the engine quit altogether ...we went thru the engine-out checklist in an effort to get a restart, never thinking we had run out of fuel...we noted the right fuel gauge reading empty. The left gauge...read about 1/2 to 2/3 full." The PRI selected a field as a forced landing area and they headed for it. The CFI did not like the area and headed for a road. They were both aware of the wires that crossed the road, and ran parallel to the road. The PRI relinquished the controls to the CFI. The CFI maneuvered the airplane between the wires. The right wing tip hit the wires, and the airplane was deflected to the right. The right wing tip hit a pine tree, and the airplane hit the ground collapsing the nose gear and the main gear. According to the CFI, the PRI had preflighted the airplane's fuel system by dipping his finger into the fuel cell. He then used a dip-stick provided in the airplane for a more accurate assessment. The PRI stated that after he checked the fuel tanks, he told the CFI that the airplane was topped off. The CFI did not confirm this. After the accident the CFI found out that the PRI had used the wrong dipstick which had been provided by Asheville Jet Center. The FAA inspector stated in his statement that the airplane was last refueled by the Jet Center on June 26, 1999. A renter who flew the airplane for 6.5 hours said he added 10 gallons of fuel on June 27. 1999. Asheville Jet Center stated that they had no record of the airplane being refueled between June 27, 1999, and the accident flight on June 30. Examination of the fuel system revealed no fuel in the right fuel tank. The left wing tank inspection panel was removed and about one pint of fuel was present. Both fuel caps were on firmly. Both fuel tanks maintained their structural integrity. There was no evidence that fuel had vented overboard. Fuel was present in the fuel strainer and in the fuel line from the engine to just above the strainer. The CFI also verified that no fuel was present in the tanks. He also stated that before takeoff he looked at the fuel gauges and they were somewhere between 1/3 and full.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.