Cessna 182G N3261S

Summary

On 3 July 2025 at about 16:57 local time, a Cessna 182G registered N3261S, operated by Big Island Gravity LLC, was involved in an accident near Kona, Hawaii, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

3 July 2025 at 16:57

Classification

Accident

Location

Kona, Hawaii, United States

Coordinates

19.7712, -156.0340

Aircraft

Cessna 182G

Registration

N3261S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Big Island Gravity LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hawi → Kona

Aircraft damage

Substantial

NTSB number

ANC25LA063

1 person had minor injuries.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On July 3, 2025, about 0657 Hawaii-Aleutian standard time, a Cessna 182G airplane, N3261S, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Kona, Hawaii. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 positioning flight. The pilot reported that the flight was a repositioning flight from the Upolu Airport (UPP), Hawi, Hawaii to the Kona International Airport (KOA). The pilot said that the airplane had 21 gallons of fuel on board. He sumped the fuel tanks before departure and the fuel was clean, and the predeparture engine run up checks were all normal. The pilot said that while en route to KOA at 2,400 ft msl, he maintained a cruise power setting of 2,300 rpm and 22 inches of manifold pressure. However, during the approach for landing at KOA, about a half mile away, and before the pilot began to adjust the airplane to a landing configuration, he noticed the Engine Gas Temperatures (EGTs) were higher than expected at a full rich mixture setting and concluded that the engine was running lean. The pilot confirmed no loss of manifold pressure and ruled out carburetor icing. Subsequently the engine began to lose power. The pilot applied carburetor heat, and the engine began to run better for about 15 to 20 seconds before the engine lost all power. The pilot selected an area of rough, uneven, lava-covered terrain as a forced landing site, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. A detailed engine examination is pending the recovery of the wreckage.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.