19970601012259I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 182E · Stanton, TX · June 1, 1997

Date
June 1, 1997 · 17:00 local
Place
Stanton, TX
Airport
Stanton Municipal Airport
Phase of flight
Final Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N9332X
Reported as
Cessna 182E
Reported engine
Continental O470R
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
308 total12 in this make and model18 in the last 90 days

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: the pilot stated that the skydivers had exited the aircraft; he was on approach to landing at the airport when the engine lost power. The pilot made an emergency landing in a field. The aircraft nose wheel broke off, the bottom cowling was damaged, and the propeller was bent. The pilot stated that during the climb to altitude, another pilot had told him that aircraft exhaust was emitting black smoke. After landing, the pilot told a police officer that there might be a problem with the fuel. The aircraft was operating on auto fuel. The mechanic who retrieved the aircraft reported ten gallons of fuel in the left tank and very little in the right tank. Unusable fuel in this aircraft is five gallons. The pilot reported using "both" on the fuel selector. Investigation has revealed no engine discrepancies.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: THE PILOT STATED THAT THE SKYDIVERS HAD EXITED THE AIRCRAFT; HE WAS ON APPROACH TO LANDING AT THE AIRPORT WHEN THE ENGINE LOST POWER. THE PILOT MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A FIELD. THE AIRCRAFT NOSE WHEEL BROKE OFF, THE BOTTOM COWLING WAS DAMAGED, AND THE PROPELLER WAS BENT. THE PILOT STATED THAT DURING THE CLIMB TO ALTITUDE, ANOTHER PILOT HAD TOLD HIM THAT AIRCRAFT EXHAUST WAS EMITTING BLACK SMOKE. AFTER LANDING, THE PILOT TOLD A POLICE OFFICER THAT THERE MIGHT BE A PROBLEM WITH THE FUEL. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OPERATING ON AUTO FUEL. THE MECHANIC WHO RETRIEVED THE AIRCRAFT REPORTED TEN GALLONS OF FUEL IN THE LEFT TANK AND VERY LITTLE IN THE RIGHT TANK. UNUSABLE FUEL IN THIS AIRCRAFT IS FIVE GALLONS. THE PILOT REPORTED USING "BOTH" ON THE FUEL SELECTOR. INVESTIGATION HAS REVEALED NO ENGINE DISCREPANCIES.