- Date
- June 12, 1991, 22:30 local (Jun 13, 1991, 06:30 UTC)
- Place
- Pilot Point, AK
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N420SBCessna 180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19910612021719A
- Case key
- 5557
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Fuel exhaustion, due to the Pilot's inadequate preflight. Contributing to the accident was the soft and rough terrain.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
While in cruise flight, the engine quit. After an emergency landing on the tundra, the airplane nosed over on its back. Examination of the airplane showed that both fuel tanks were empty, and the Pilot stated he just ran out of fuel.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N420SB
- Reported as
- Cessna 180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18052313
- Airframe hours
- 3,489
- Engine
- Continental O-470, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Bobby Graham
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 10, 1991 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Gertrude Creek, AK
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 40
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,613 total · 1,438 in this make and model · 3,278 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 25 knots
- Visibility
- 98 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N420SB · 4
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.