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19960807027479I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Cessna 180 · Tennessee Ridge, TN · August 7, 1996

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
August 7, 1996 · 14:00 local
Place
Tennessee Ridge, TN
Phase of flight
Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N9426C
Reported as
Cessna 180
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
24,400 total500 in this make and model5 in the last 90 days
N9426CRegistered now · Cessna 180S/N 31824 · Built 1955Airframe modelCessna 180Engine modelContinental O-470 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: in preparation for a flight to sikeston, Missouri for lunch, the pilot of N9426C had the aircraft "topped-off" with fuel. Fuel records at the FBO indicate the airplane held 26.1 gallons and the fueler stated that he filled the tanks. The flight proceeded without difficulty to sikeston, Missouri, but approximately 35 minutes into the return flight, the pilot noticed the fuel gauges were moving upwards indicating more fuel. As he recalled that a friend had a similar situation, he passed over the houston county airport at mckinnon, Tennessee that a friend had a similar situation, he passed over the houston county airport has no fuel services and as he knew he should have sufficient fuel for the 2 hour round-trip flight with full tanks, he decided to continue. At a point approximately 7 miles from the houston county airport or 20 miles from the dickson airport, the engine stopped due to fuel exhaustion. The pilot attempted to switch tanks to no avail, and an emergency landing was made into a field, the airplane sustaining minor damage to the left landing gear, the lower engine cowling, and one propeller blade, but no injuries to the occupants. As the airplane came to rest with the left side substantially lower than the right side, the first thing the pilot noticed upon examining the airplane was a piece of clear plastic similar to "saran wrap" over the fuel vent located on top of the left wing root. An examination by a deputy sheriff on the scene determined that the rubber fuel bladders had been pulled upwards into the mouth of the tank openings of both tanks. Due to the conventional landing gear arrangement of the Cessna 180 it would be difficult to see the fuel vent without a ladder. This fuel vent is entirely exposed on top of the wing in comparison to the location of the fuel vent on later model cessnas beneath the left wing and behind the wing strut. The operating manual of the 1955 model aircraft does not include a procedure to check the fuel vent during pre-flight inspection.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: IN PREPARATION FOR A FLIGHT TO SIKESTON, MISSOURI FOR LUNCH, THE PILOT OF N9426C HAD THE AIRCRAFT "TOPPED-OFF" WITH FUEL. FUEL RECORDS AT THE FBO INDICATE THE AIRPLANE HELD 26.1 GALLONS AND THE FUELER STATED THAT HE FILLED THE TANKS. THE FLIGHT PROCEEDED WITHOUT DIFFICULTY TO SIKESTON, MISSOURI, BUT APPROXIMATELY 35 MINUTES INTO THE RETURN FLIGHT, THE PILOT NOTICED THE FUEL GAUGES WERE MOVING UPWARDS INDICATING MORE FUEL. AS HE RECALLED THAT A FRIEND HAD A SIMILAR SITUATION, HE PASSED OVER THE HOUSTON COUNTY AIRPORT AT MCKINNON, TENNESSEE THAT A FRIEND HAD A SIMILAR SITUATION, HE PASSED OVER THE HOUSTON COUNTY AIRPORT HAS NO FUEL SERVICES AND AS HE KNEW HE SHOULD HAVE SUFFICIENT FUEL FOR THE 2 HOUR ROUND-TRIP FLIGHT WITH FULL TANKS, HE DECIDED TO CONTINUE. AT A POINT APPROXIMATELY 7 MILES FROM THE HOUSTON COUNTY AIRPORT OR 20 MILES FROM THE DICKSON AIRPORT, THE ENGINE STOPPED DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO SWITCH TANKS TO NO AVAIL, AND AN EMERGENCY LANDING WAS MADE INTO A FIELD, THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINING MINOR DAMAGE TO THE LEFT LANDING GEAR, THE LOWER ENGINE COWLING, AND ONE PROPELLER BLADE, BUT NO INJURIES TO THE OCCUPANTS. AS THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST WITH THE LEFT SIDE SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER THAN THE RIGHT SIDE, THE FIRST THING THE PILOT NOTICED UPON EXAMINING THE AIRPLANE WAS A PIECE OF CLEAR PLASTIC SIMILAR TO "SARAN WRAP" OVER THE FUEL VENT LOCATED ON TOP OF THE LEFT WING ROOT. AN EXAMINATION BY A DEPUTY SHERIFF ON THE SCENE DETERMINED THAT THE RUBBER FUEL BLADDERS HAD BEEN PULLED UPWARDS INTO THE MOUTH OF THE TANK OPENINGS OF BOTH TANKS. DUE TO THE CONVENTIONAL LANDING GEAR ARRANGEMENT OF THE CESSNA 180 IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO SEE THE FUEL VENT WITHOUT A LADDER. THIS FUEL VENT IS ENTIRELY EXPOSED ON TOP OF THE WING IN COMPARISON TO THE LOCATION OF THE FUEL VENT ON LATER MODEL CESSNAS BENEATH THE LEFT WING AND BEHIND THE WING STRUT. THE OPERATING MANUAL OF THE 1955 MODEL AIRCRAFT DOES NOT INCLUDE A PROCEDURE TO CHECK THE FUEL VENT DURING PRE-FLIGHT INSPECTION.