- Date
- January 25, 2014, 14:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- Mt. Morris, IL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6359TCessna R182
- Defining event
- Enroute: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 1, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20140125000759A
- Case key
- 88726
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
The total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, which resulted from the pilot's inadequate pre-flight planning and decision-making.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The commercial rated pilot was repositioning the airplane from Texas to Wisconsin, with an intermediate stop in Missouri. He said he departed Texas with 88 usable gallons of fuel and flew for 3 hours and 10 minutes before landing in Missouri. The pilot purchased 30 gallons of fuel in Missouri but was unsure how many gallons were in the tanks when he departed since he did not visually check the tanks. While en route to Wisconsin, the pilot encountered severe turbulence and a strong crosswind. The pilot said that as he approached his destination airport, the fuel gauges were getting "lower and lower." He said that when he was about 20 minutes from landing (about 2 hours and 45 minutes into the flight), the engine ran out of gas and stopped producing power. The pilot made a forced landing to a snow covered field, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and firewall. According to a mechanic that recovered the airplane, no leaks were observed in the airplane's fuel system and about one pint of fuel was drained from the left wing fuel tank and the right wing fuel tank was empty.
Factual narrative
The commercial rated pilot was repositioning the airplane from Texas to Wisconsin, with an intermediate stop in Missouri. He said he departed Texas with 88 usable gallons of fuel and flew for 3 hours and 10 minutes before landing in Missouri. The pilot purchased 30 gallons of fuel in Missouri but was unsure how many gallons were in the tanks when he departed since he did not visually check the tanks. While en route to Wisconsin, the pilot encountered severe turbulence and a strong crosswind. The pilot said that as he approached his destination airport, the fuel gauges were getting "lower and lower." He said that when he was about 20 minutes from landing (about 2 hours and 45 minutes into the flight), the engine ran out of gas and stopped producing power. The pilot made a forced landing to a snow covered field, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and firewall. According to a mechanic that recovered the airplane, no leaks were observed in the airplane's fuel system and about one pint of fuel was drained from the left wing fuel tank and the right wing fuel tank was empty.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6359T
- Reported as
- Cessna R182 (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- R18201995
- Built
- 1984
- Airframe hours
- 8,690
- Engine
- Lycoming 0-540, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Gelbach Aviation LLC
- Registered owner
- Gelbach Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 27, 2013
- Departed
- JLN · Joplin, MO
- Destination
- JVL · Janesville, WI
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
- 75
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 31, 2012
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 14,497 total · 608 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 19 °F, dew point 10 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.73 inHg
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 27, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 610 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.