- Date
- June 8, 2025, 18:09 local (23:09 UTC)
- Place
- Mineral Wells, TX
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N7376NCessna 182P
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Loss of engine power (total)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 9, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250608013929A
- Case key
- 200285
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 pilot’s improper fuel tank selection prior to takeoff, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to follow the airplane checklist.
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
According to the pilot, the engine lost total power about 200 ft above the ground during the initial climb. The pilot observed that the fuel selector was in the OFF position and moved the fuel selector to the BOTH position but chose not to attempt to restart the engine due to the airplane’s low altitude. The pilot conducted a forced landing, during which the right wing and vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation, and he failed to properly use the checklist during the preflight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7376N
- Reported as
- Cessna 182P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18263159
- Built
- 1974
- Airframe hours
- 1,600
- Engine
- Continental IO-550, 300 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 3, 2025
- Destination
- UTS · Huntsville, TX
- Airport
- MWL · Mineral Wells, runway 13, 5,996 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic primary flight display
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
- 69
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Last flight review
- December 15, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 551 total · 213 in this make and model · 38 in the last 90 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 77 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.77 inHg
- Observed at
- KMWL
- METAR
- KMWL 082235Z AUTO 20006KT 10SM VCTS FEW045 33/25 A2977 RMK AO2 LTG DSNT SE-W RAB14E24 TSE29 P0000 T03280250
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 9, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.0 MB 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.