Cessna 182B N7143E

Summary

On 23 December 2024 at about 21:00 local time, a Cessna 182B registered N7143E was involved in an accident near Waimea, Hawaii, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 December 2024 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Waimea, Hawaii, United States

Coordinates

19.9886, -155.6762

Aircraft

Cessna 182B

Registration

N7143E

Category

Airplane

Year built

1959

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mokileia → Waimea-Kohala

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC25LA013

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inadequate monitoring of the fuel status while en route, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot, who was a flight instructor, seated in the left seat, stated that while approaching their destination airport during the non-instructional flight, the engine “sputtered” and lost all power due to fuel starvation. The pilot made a forced landing into an open field short of the runway. During the forced landing roll, the airplane impacted a herd of sheep and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. Postaccident examination revealed no abnormalities with the airplane’s fuel system or engine that would have prevented normal operation. However, the wings had been removed and any fuel onboard was discarded before the postaccident examination of the wreckage. The pilot reported they departed with 70 gallons of fuel in the airplane. The student pilot-rated passenger, seated in the right seat, reported the pilot stated they had three hours of fuel onboard for the two-hour flight. Both pilots reported that the fuel selector was in the BOTH position and that, after the accident, the left fuel tank was empty and the right fuel tank still contained fuel. The pilot stated that the engine lost total power due to fuel starvation. The pilot likely did not monitor the fuel quantity during the flight. Had the fuel quantity gauges been monitored, the pilot would have recognized the imbalance.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.