Cessna 182C N5158U

Summary

On 29 June 1997 at about 00:00 local time, a Cessna 182C registered N5158U was involved in an accident near Rimrock, Arizona, United States. 3 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 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

29 June 1997 at 00:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Rimrock, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Rimrock (E76)

Coordinates

34.6796, -111.7002

Aircraft

Cessna 182C

Registration

N5158U

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Flagstaff → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX97LA226

1 person was seriously injured.

Fuel starvation due to the pilot's failure to monitor the fuel level in the right tank, and to select a tank containing fuel during the approach and landing in accordance with the checklist.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Witnesses reported that the wind was gusting as they watched the pilot attempt a go-around. As he added power, the engine sputtered and quit. One of the owners of the airplane stated he had refueled the airplane 3 days prior to the accident. He said he had topped the three tanks with autogas, which was approved for the airplane under an STC. The right wing's fuel capacity was 27.5 gallons of useable fuel. According to the pilot's operating handbook, the pilot is to switch to the right tank position after reaching a cruise altitude, and then operate from this tank until the fuel supply is exhausted. The pilot can then switch to the left tank, pull on the transfer pump switch, and refill the right main tank from the auxiliary fuel tank. The left tank was found nearly full, the auxiliary fuel tank had fuel in it, although it was found to be leaking from that tank. The right tank was completely empty. The fuel selector was located in the right position, with no signs of impact damage. The engine was examined at a later date, with no abnormalities noted. The pilot reported that it was normal practice to run on the right fuel tank enough so that the fuel in the auxiliary tank could be pumped into the right tank. Additionally, he estimated that the aircraft had approximately 2.5 hours of flight time on the right tank before the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.