Cessna 182G N3725U

Summary

On 22 September 1997 at about 15:30 local time, a Cessna 182G registered N3725U, operated by Virgil Allison, was involved in an accident near Lexington, Tennessee, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 September 1997 at 15:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Lexington, Tennessee, United States

Nearest airport

Franklin Wilkins (M52)

Coordinates

35.6501, -88.3901

Aircraft

Cessna 182G

Registration

N3725U

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Virgil Allison

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Jacksonville → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL97FA135

1 person died.

Improper planning/decision by the pilot, which led to the fuel exhaustion, loss of engine power, and a forced landing. Trees in the emergency landing area were a related factor.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that as he was turning base to land, he noticed that the engine did not respond to throttle movements. Subsequently, the airplane struck trees during a forced landing, then it crashed nose first into the ground. Postaccident examination of the engine did not reveal any discrepancy. According to an FAA inspector, the airplane held 65 gallons of fuel, 5 gallons of which were considered unusable. At the scene of the accident, fuel was drained from the fuel tanks and the engine. The left tank had 1 quart of fuel, the right tank had 5 ounces of fuel, and the gascolator and strainer together had 1/2 gallon of fuel.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.