Cessna 182H N1919X

Summary

On 5 October 2003 at about 07:17 local time, a Cessna 182H registered N1919X, operated by Jerry L. Norton, was involved in an accident near Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. 2 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

5 October 2003 at 07:17

Classification

Accident

Location

Knoxville, Tennessee, United States

Nearest airport

Knoxville Downtown Island (DKX)

Coordinates

35.9667, -82.3150

Aircraft

Cessna 182H

Registration

N1919X

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Jerry L. Norton

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Auburn → Knoxville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ATL04LA008

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection by his failure to secure the left fuel tank cap which resulted in fuel exhaustion, and the loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he topped off both fuel tanks prior to departing Knoxville Downtown Island Airport. The airplane had extended range tanks and held 51 gallons of fuel. The pilot stated that there were 12 gallons of fuel in the left tank and 39 gallons of fuel in the right tank. The flight from Knoxville Downtown Island Airport to Auburn-Opelika Airport was uneventful. On the return trip, from Auburn to Knoxville, the pilot switched the fuel lever to the right fuel tank immediately after departure to compensate for the unequal fuel quantities. Approximately 8 miles east of the Knoxville Downtown Island Airport at 2500 feet, the airplane engine began to sputter and the pilot stated that he moved the fuel lever to the both tanks position. The airplane engine fired, ran shortly and then stopped. The pilot was unable to restart the engine and reported the engine failure to the air traffic controller. The pilot set up the airplane for a slow, full flap descent but was unable to see where to land due to the darkness. The right wing of the airplane struck a tree and the airplane came to rest in a small field. Examination of the airplane revealed the outer section of the right wing and wing strut detached, the nose gear detached and damage to the propeller. Blue fuel stains were found streaking along the top of the left wing and left side of the fuselage, and the left fuel cap was missing. A search for the fuel cap along the crash path and general area of the wreckage was unsuccessful. The examination found no usable fuel in either tank. The fuel caps on this airplane were aftermarket gas caps installed in accordance with STC # SA2376CE. The gas caps are designed to be twisted on and when the cap is completely rotated in a clockwise direction, it will stop in a locked position. The gas cap is visible from the ground but does not have any reference markings to allow a person to visually determine if the gas caps are properly locked in place. During the pilot's post-accident interview and his written statement, he did not report securing the fuel caps during the preflight inspection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.