Cessna 182Q N382CH

Summary

On 1 May 2009 at about 22:18 local time, a Cessna 182Q registered N382CH, operated by Clifford G Howell, was involved in an accident near Puyallup, Washington, United States. One person was 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

1 May 2009 at 22:18

Classification

Accident

Location

Puyallup, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Pierce County (PLU)

Coordinates

47.1039, -122.2872

Aircraft

Cessna 182Q

Registration

N382CH

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Clifford G Howell

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Puyallup → Bremerton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR09LA223

1 person had minor injuries.

A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of the pilot’s failure to verify the fuel levels in the tanks, and, his failure to select the proper fuel tank.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the accident flight was the first flight following maintenance that replaced the fuel sending units, which required draining the fuel tanks. The pilot stated that maintenance personnel added 20 gallons of fuel to each main tank following the work. He did not physically check the fuel level in the tanks, but noted that both fuel gages indicated the same amount of fuel prior to flight. He reported that the engine lost power about 500 feet above ground level on takeoff, and he made an off airport landing that damaged the wings, airframe, and rudder. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane the night of the accident, and noted that no fuel was in the left main tank, but maintenance personnel drained about 20 gallons from the right tank. On a follow-up exam, investigators added 5 gallons of fuel to the left wing tank. The engine started immediately without hesitation. It accelerated smoothly to 1,800 rpm, and a magneto check revealed no anomalies. The engine was decelerated to idle rpm; the engine ran smoothly, and shutdown was unremarkable. The airplane had a recording engine data management unit installed. Data indicated that fuel flow dropped to 0 gallons per hour 6 seconds prior to a loss of rpm.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.