- Date
- July 15, 1994, 11:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Battle Lake, MN
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N333QBCessna 180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 19, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940715018609A
- Case key
- 9596
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
loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion which resulted from inaccurate fuel consumption calculations. A factor related to the accident was the inaccurately placarded fuel tanks.
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 pilot was within three miles of his intended destination when the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. The investigation revealed there was no usable fuel in either tank. The pilot had based his fuel consumption calculations on the 32.5 gallon capacity placarded on either tank. The tanks were actually 30.0 gallon tanks with 27.5 gallon usable capacity.
Factual narrative
On July 15, 1994, about 1130 central daylight time, a Cessna 180, N333QB, sustained substantial damage in a forced landing near Battle Lake, Minnesota. The pilot reported a total loss of engine power. There were no injuries to the commercial pilot or the two passengers aboard the airplane. The personal flight originated at Forest Lake, Minnesota, at 1015, with an intended destination of Battle Lake. No flight plan was filed, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time.
The mechanic who examined the airplane stated he drained about 1.5 to 2 gallons of fuel from the left wing, and no fuel from the right wing. Each fuel tank has 2.5 gallons of unusable fuel. Both fuel tanks were placarded 32.5 gallon capacity, but were actually 30 gallon tanks. The pilot stated he made his fuel calculations based on the 32.5 gallon capacity placarded on each tank.
The engine started and ran normally when fuel was supplied.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N333QB
- Reported as
- Cessna 180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31398
- Airframe hours
- 4,556
- Engine
- Continental O-470-J, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Thomas A. Mottinger
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special); Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 1, 1993 · 18 hours before
- Departed
- 25D · Forest Lake, IL
- Destination
- 7Y5 · 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
- 47
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,525 total · 77 in this make and model · 2,500 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FFM, 25 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.