Cessna 185F N185CY

Summary

On 5 November 2000 at about 20:10 local time, a Cessna 185F registered N185CY was involved in an accident near Carson City, Nevada, United States. One person was 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

5 November 2000 at 20:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Carson City, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Carson (CXP)

Coordinates

39.2593, -119.7892

Aircraft

Cessna 185F

Registration

N185CY

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX01LA034

Nobody was injured.

Fuel starvation precipitated by the pilot's continued use of the fuel selector valve that was not seating in the detents properly.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a forced landing due to a loss of engine power, the airplane struck a berm, sheared off the landing gear, damaged both wings, and the fuselage. On takeoff the engine became quiet. The pilot heard the engine surge a couple of times, like it was running out of fuel. He also indicated that there was 80 gallons of fuel on board the airplane at the time of the accident. Witnesses heard the engine pop two or three times and saw a puff of white/bluish smoke emanating from the engine. An engine inspection was conducted, which included a fuel system and ignition system check. There were no mechanical anomalies found. A plastic ridge located around the fuel selector valve had been depressed and deformed down to allow the valve to not seat properly in any of the three position detents. The pilot stated that when the engine quit he did not physically or visually verify the fuel selector valve position.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.