# Incident 19961230042539I: Cessna 182L, St Cloud, FL, December 30, 1996

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 30, 1996, 10:40 local time
- Place: St Cloud, FL
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 28.2489° N, 81.2812° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of St. Cloud, FL, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=28.2489&lon=-81.2812&mi=10
- Aircraft: N182JM, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N182JM-2013-06-10) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 182L (registry code 2072726, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-182l) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 182L
- Reported engine: CONT O470N
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 3,000 total, 2,100 in this make and model, 30 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19961230042539I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

NARRATIVE: ON DECEMBER 30, 1996, AT APPROXIMATELY 10:40 A.M., N182JM, SERIAL NUMBER 18259187, A CESSNA 182-L, PILOTED AND OWNED BY MR. ROBERT JAY MERMELSTEIN (CERTIFICATE NUMBER 2138321) RADIOED ORLANDO APPROACH CONTROL THAT HE WAS LOSING POWER IN THE ENGINE AND WAS LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO LAND. MR. MERMELSTEIN LANDED N182JM ON LAKE CYPRESS FISH CAMP ACCESS ROAD (DIRT ROAD) STRUCK A TELEPHONE POLE WITH HIS RIGHT WING TIP, THE AIRCRAFT PIVOTED INTO A DITCH. ONLY MINOR DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT WING TIP RESULTED. MR. MERMELSTEIN WAS THE ONLY OCCUPANT OF THE AIRCRAFT AND WAS UNINJURED. A CHECK OF THE FUEL LEVEL INDICATED THE RIGHT WING TANK WAS VIRTUALLY DRY. MR. MERMELSTEIN STATED HIS FUEL QUANTITY INDICATORS HAD NEVER WORKED. HE SAID THEY HAD NEVER WORKED AND THAT THEY HAD OWNED FIVE AIRCRAFT AND NONE OF THEM HAD WORKING FUEL QUANTITY INDICATORS. HE WENT ON TO STATE THAT HE FLEW BY TIME AND ALWAYS TOPPED OFF THE FUEL TANKS BEFORE FLIGHT. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE AIRCRAFT FUEL SERVICING POINTS WERE NOT PLACARDED. THE AIRCRAFT FUEL TANK SELECTOR FUEL VALVE LEVER WAS ON LEFT TANK ONLY. MR. MERMELSTEIN WAS SURPRISED BY THE POSITION OF THE FUEL TANK SELECTOR VALVE LEVER, HE SAID HE ALWAYS FLEW WITH THE LEVER IN THE BOTH TANKS POSITION. RAYMOND ELLIS STOVER, II, A&P #264617860, FROM KISSIMMEE AVIATION WAS ON THE SCENE AND CONFIRMED THE POSITION OF THE FUEL TANK SELECTOR VALVE LEVER LEFT TANK WAS SELECTED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS REPOSITIONED SAFELY ON THE ROAD, THE SELECTOR WAS SET TO RIGHT TANK POSITION, ENGINE WAS STARTED, AND WENT TO FULL POWER RUN-UP WITH NO PROBLEMS.

## Other reports on N182JM (2)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 20020125001619A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020125001619A), Jan 25, 2002: Cessna 182L (N182JM), Bocaraton, FL, Substantial damage. (.19) On January 25, 2002, about 1315 eastern standard time, a Cessna 182L, N182JM, registered to aerolease of america, inc., operating as a title 14 CFR part…
- [Incident 19851029012559I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19851029012559I), Oct 29, 1985: Cessna 182L (N182JM), West Palm Beach, FL. Incident investigated and closed out with a warning letter.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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