Cessna 182 N55DN

Summary

On 24 June 2012 at about 19:40 local time, a Cessna 182 registered N55DN, operated by Skydive Surfcity, was involved in an accident near Watsonville, California, 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

24 June 2012 at 19:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Watsonville, California, United States

Nearest airport

Watsonville Municipal Airport (WVI)

Coordinates

36.9356, -121.7894

Aircraft

Cessna 182

Registration

N55DN

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Skydive Surfcity

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Skydiving

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Watsonville → Watsonville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR12LA286

1 person had minor injuries.

A total loss of engine power during approach for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he departed the airport for the 15-minute skydiving flight with about 20 gallons of fuel onboard. After completing a jump run, he was returning to the airport and maneuvered the airplane on final approach. When the airplane was about 3 miles from the runway and about 1,200 feet above ground level, the engine experienced a partial loss of power. The pilot configured the airplane for the best glide speed, and, shortly thereafter, the engine quit producing any power. The airplane subsequently collided with trees in an orchard about 600 yards from the approach end of the runway. At the accident site, there was no fuel in the right wing; the remaining fuel from the left wing totaled about 5 gallons. Neither of the tanks were breached; however, the airplane was inverted and some fuel was slowly dripping out the vent, thus it was not possible to determine the exact quantity of fuel in the tanks at the time of the accident. The fuel selector was in the “BOTH ON” position and the unusable fuel for each 30-gallon tank was 2.5 gallons; therefore, the left wing tank had usable fuel at the time of the accident. A postaccident engine examination revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.