Cessna 180 N2311C

Summary

On 11 August 2007 at about 01:35 local time, a Cessna 180 registered N2311C was involved in an accident near Princeton, Minnesota, United States. 2 people were on board and 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

11 August 2007 at 01:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Princeton, Minnesota, United States

Nearest airport

Princeton Municipal (PNM)

Coordinates

45.5597, -93.6081

Aircraft

Cessna 180

Registration

N2311C

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

La Crosse → Princeton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI07CA263

1 person had minor injuries.

The loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's inadequate preflight. A factor was the fuel siphoning from the right fuel tank.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane sustained substantial damage during a forced landing to a field after the loss of engine power during cruise. The pilot reported that he had stopped at an en route airport to refuel prior to continuing to his final destination airport. He had the lineman at the fixed base operator add 7 gallons of fuel to each wing tank for a total of 14 gallons. The pilot reported that the lineman placed the fueling ladder on his truck and the pilot went in to pay the bill. The pilot did not check the tanks or the fuel caps after the lineman had added the fuel. The pilot reported that he departed and approximately 1:05 hours of flight later, the airplane's engine stopped running. He reported the fuel indicators showed empty on the left tank, but 1/2 or better on the right tank. The fuel selector was in the BOTH position. He executed a forced landing to a soybean field, but the field was too short and the airplane became airborne again before landing hard in a field. The inspection of the airplane revealed that the right fuel door was open and the filler cap was off and dangling by the chain attached to the filler neck. A fuel stain was observed that went from the filler neck to the trailing edge of the right flap. The left and right fuel tanks were empty.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.