Cessna 180 N154JD

Summary

On 3 June 2010 at about 19:00 local time, a Cessna 180 registered N154JD, operated by Eastland Aviation Inc, was involved in an accident near Humble, Texas, 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

3 June 2010 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Humble, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

None (None)

Coordinates

29.9900, -95.2717

Aircraft

Cessna 180

Registration

N154JD

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Eastland Aviation Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Odessa → Houston

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN10CA297

1 person had minor injuries.

A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's inadequate fuel management.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot said that he departed with approximately 55 gallons of fuel on board (about 3.5 hours total) and departed on a long cross country flight. Approximately three hours into the flight, while on an ILS approach into his destination airport in VFR conditions, the pilot said the engine suddenly stopped, but the propeller continued to windmill. He pumped the throttle, and finally pushed it pushed full forward, but there was still no thrust. He checked the engine guages and they were normal, but he did not look at the fuel guages. A witness heard the engine sputtering as it flew overhead. The pilot was unable to maintain altitude and attempted to reach a field, but ended up colliding with the roof of a private residence. The airplane came to rest in the residence's backyard. The pilot reported not seeing any fuel leaks or streaks when he got out of the airplane. Examination of the airplane revealed there was no fuel in either wing tank, and there was no staining of the grass or foliage surrounding the airplane. When the airplane wing's were removed for salvage, less than one-pint of fuel was drained from the fuel lines.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.