Cessna A185F N8041R

Summary

On 22 August 2018 at about 02:30 local time, a Cessna A185F registered N8041R was involved in an accident near Kaktovik, Alaska, 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

22 August 2018 at 02:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Kaktovik, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

69.2639, -141.7233

Aircraft

Cessna A185F

Registration

N8041R

Category

Airplane

Year built

1973

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kaktovik → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC18LA066

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation during a steep turn with a low fuel state.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was maneuvering to land at a riverside gravel beach when the engine experienced a loss of power at low altitude. The pilot stated that the engine surged and he was not sure if it was a partial loss of power. He attempted to restore power by advancing the throttle, mixture and propeller controls; however, power was not restored. The pilot continued straight ahead and turned on the auxiliary fuel boost pump, and engine power was restored as the airplane impacted brush-covered terrain, resulting in substantial damage. The wreckage recovery crew observed almost no fuel in one tank and very little in the other. The pilot stated that fuel leaked out of the low wing fuel vent after the accident and he provided photographic evidence. The precise quantity of usable fuel at the time of the accident could not be determined. Given full fuel tanks at the time of departure and an average fuel flow of 13 gallons per hour, the fuel remaining about the time of the accident should have been about 17 gallons distributed between the two wing tanks, of which 6 gallons was considered unusable. A review of GPS data revealed that the engine experienced the power loss after the pilot performed a steep turn to survey the landing site. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Fuel was present in the fuel system components leading to the engine and the engine operated normally during a test run. It is likely that, during the steep turn with the airplane's low fuel state, a wing fuel tank pickup was unported, which resulted in an interruption of fuel supply to the engine and a loss of engine power. Due to the airplane's low altitude, the pilot was unable to restore power before impact with terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.