# Accident 19990820029009A: Cessna 180, Columbus, NM, August 20, 1999 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: August 20, 1999, 13:40 local time - Place: Columbus, NM - Airport: Hacienda Sur Luna Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Descent - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 31.8205° N, 107.6404° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=31.8205&lon=-107.6404&mi=10 - Aircraft: N4796B, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N4796B) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 180 (registry code 2072602, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-180) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Continental O-470 series (registry code 17026, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 180 - Reported engine: CONT O470L - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 5,691 total, 596 in this make and model, 23 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN99LA164](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN99LA164) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990820029009A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (.4) ON AUGUST 20, 1999, APPROXIMATELY 1340 MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 180, N4796B, REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN DURING A FORCED LANDING NEAR COLUMBS, NEW MEXICO. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT BEING CONDUCTED UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED IN BULLHEAD CITY, ARIZONA, APPROXIMATELY 0850. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT'S ACCIDENT REPORT, HE DEPARTED BULLHEAD CITY EN ROUTE TO COLUMBUS, NEW MEXICO, A DISTANCE OF 461 NAUTICAL MILES. HE PLANNED ON AN AVERAGE GROUND SPEED OF 120 KNOTS, WITH AN ESTIMATED 3 HOURS, 45 MINUTES TIME EN ROUTE. THE PILOT CALCULATED THE FUEL BURN TO BE BETWEEN 10.5 AND 11.0 GALLONS PER HOUR. WITH 55 GALLONS OF USABLE FUEL, THIS WOULD EQUATE TO AN ENDURANCE OF 4.5 TO 5.0 HOURS. WHEN THE AIRPLANE WAS 50 MILES FROM ITS DESTINATION, THE FUEL GAUGES INDICATED 1/4 FULL. WHEN THE AIRPLANE WAS 10 MILES FROM THE AIRPORT, THE PILOT BEGAN A DESCENT TO 6,000 FEET AND THE ENGINE LOST POWER. THE PILOT MADE A FORCED LANDING ON AN UNPREPARED SURFACE AND COLLIDED WITH A DITCH. FAA WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ACCIDENT BY LETTER AND BY A TELEPHONE CALL FROM AN ANONYMOUS TIPSTER (COPY ATTACHED). WHEN AN FAA INSPECTOR CONTACTED THE PILOT, HE WAS "OBNOXIOUS AND OBSTINATE," INSISTING THAT THE DAMAGE TO HIS AIRPLANE WAS MINIMAL. THE PILOT "ADMITTED TO FUEL STARVATION." AN FAA INSPECTOR EXAMINED THE AIRPLANE AND FOUND THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR AND GEAR BOS, LEFT WING, LEFT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER, AND ENGINE FIREWALL TO BE BUCKLED. THE PILOT TOLD THE FAA INSPECTOR SAID HE HAD INSTRUCTED AIRPORT PERSONNEL AT BULLHEAD CITY TO REFUEL THE AIRPLANE, BUT TO "LEAVE IT DOWN TWO INCHES." THE FUEL RECEIPT INDICATES THE AIRPLANE WAS SERVICED WITH 29.1 GALLONS OF AVIATION GRADE GASOLINE. THE PILOT DID NOT INDICATE WHETHER HE CHECKED TO SEE IF HIS INSTRUCTIONS HAD BEEN FOLLOWED. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB DEN99LA164](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN99LA164), Aug 20, 1999: Cessna 180 (N4796B), Columbus, NM, substantial damage. Probable cause: Fuel exhaustion because the pilot issued instructions that the fuel tanks not be filled to capacity. A factor was the unsuitable terrain on which to make a forced landing. ## Other reports on N4796B (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Accident 20190414010779A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20190414010779A), Apr 14, 2019: Cessna 180 (N4796B), Limington, ME, Substantial damage. The pilot performed a 3-point landing. He stated that shortly after touchdown a gust of wing lifted the right wing. A single tire rubber track started in the… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.