- Date
- August 10, 2007, 17:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Jasper, MN
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N52998Cessna 182
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 31, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20070810020099A
- Case key
- 66804
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 loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of the pilot's inadequate preflight. The false indication of the fuel remaining in the fuel tanks and the corn crop were factors.
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
The airplane sustained substantial damage during a forced landing to a cornfield after a loss of engine power. The pilot reported that he had departed from a grass airstrip with the fuel selector set to the right fuel tank. He reported that the fuel gauges indicated that most of the fuel on board the airplane was in the right fuel tank, and "very little" fuel in the left fuel tank. He reported that the engine lost power "shortly after takeoff," and he executed a forced landing to a cornfield. The inspection of the airplane revealed that there was about 20 gallons of fuel in the left fuel tank. When electric power was applied to the airplane, the right fuel gauge read 1/2 fuel remaining and the left fuel gauge indicated low fuel. The airplane's Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) stated that the fuel selector should be set to BOTH during takeoff.
Factual narrative
The airplane sustained substantial damage during a forced landing to a cornfield after a loss of engine power. The pilot reported that he had departed from a grass airstrip with the fuel selector set to the right fuel tank. He reported that the fuel gauges indicated that most of the fuel on board the airplane was in the right fuel tank, and "very little" fuel in the left fuel tank. He reported that the engine quit "shortly after takeoff," and he executed a forced landing to a cornfield. The inspection of the airplane revealed that there was about 20 gallons of fuel in the left fuel tank. When electric power was applied to the airplane, the right fuel gauge read 1/2 fuel remaining and the left fuel gauge indicated low fuel. The airplane's Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) stated that the fuel selector should be set to BOTH during takeoff.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N52998
- Reported as
- Cessna 182
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18262996
- Engine
- Continental IO-470-F27, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Frank W. Frauenhoff
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Jasper, MN
- Destination
- LYV · Laverne, MN
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
- 50
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 942 total · 233 in this make and model · 844 as pilot in command · 79 in the last 90 days · 28 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.