Cessna 182H N8549S

Summary

On 4 August 2001 at about 18:50 local time, a Cessna 182H registered N8549S was involved in an accident near Pueblo, Colorado, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one 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

4 August 2001 at 18:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Pueblo, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Pueblo Memorial (PUB)

Coordinates

38.2907, -104.5408

Aircraft

Cessna 182H

Registration

N8549S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pueblo → Monte Vista

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN01LA138

1 person was seriously injured.

the loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of the pilot's improper fuel selector position. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During initial climb after takeoff, the engine lost power. The pilot radioed the tower and explained that he was experiencing engine trouble and requested clearance to return to the airport. He realized that he did not have enough altitude to make the runway and identified an abandoned softball field to use for an emergency landing. The airplane struck a berm and a fence just short of the field and nosed over. Although fuel was found in both the left and right wing fuel tanks, the header fuel tank, installed in the fuel system between the fuel selector valve and the fuel strainer, was empty. No fuel was present in the fuel lines leading from the header tank to the fuel pump, fuel strainers, fuel pump, or gascolator. The only fuel found was in the fuel return line at the firewall. An engine manufacturer representative stated that the amount of fuel contained within the fuel system from and including the supplemental fuel tank to the injection system, could sustain operation of the engine for a time period of between two to four minutes depending on the power setting.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.