Cessna 180 N180LE

Summary

On 9 September 2010 at about 16:30 local time, a Cessna 180 registered N180LE was involved in an accident near Huron, New York, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

9 September 2010 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Huron, New York, United States

Coordinates

43.2411, -76.9239

Aircraft

Cessna 180

Registration

N180LE

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Paw Paw → Huron

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA10CA472

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot's inadequate preflight planning and preparation, which resulted in a total 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

The pilot of the float-equipped airplane stated that he was on final approach for landing on a lake where he intended to refuel. About 400 feet above ground level, the airplane's engine lost power. The pilot was unable to restart it and impacted a corn field approximately one-half mile from the lake. The pilot reported that he had flown for about 4 1/2 hours and that the right fuel tank gauge indicated approximately one-quarter remaining just prior to the accident. Examination of the airplane revealed the left wing's fuel tank was void of fuel, and approximately 1 gallon of fuel was extracted from the right wing fuel tank. The engine separated from the airframe during the impact and the firewall was substantially damaged. According to photos provided by first responders to the accident site, the right fuel tank indicator was between the "empty" indication and the 1/4 tank indication and the left tank indicated below "empty."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.