- Date
- December 31, 2005, 11:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Hobbs, NM
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N4755DCessna 182A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20051231029859A
- Case key
- 63057
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 exhaustion and the pilot's failure to visually verify the fuel quantity in the fuel tanks prior to departure. Contributing factors include the pilot's inadequate preflight, and the transmission wires.
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
According to the pilot, he "ran out of fuel" on final approach. The airplane's landing gear became entangled in a power line during the emergency descent and the airplane impacted the ground causing substantial damage to the airplane and serious injury to the pilot and passenger. An examination of the airplane's systems revealed no anomalies.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that he "ran out of fuel" on final approach. The airplane landing gear became entangled in a power line during the emergency decent and the airplane impacted the ground. The private pilot and his passenger both sustained broken bones. The engine was crushed aft into the firewall, and the right main gear crushed up into the floorboard. The right wing, inboard of the wing tip was wrinkled, and the empennage was wrinkled aft of the right fuselage door. An examination of the airplane's systems revealed no anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4755D
- Reported as
- Cessna 182A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34855
- Airframe hours
- 4,531.4
- Engine
- Teledyne Continental O-470-R, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 2005
- Departed
- HOB · Hobbs, NM
- Destination
- HOB · Hobbs, NM
- Airport
- HOB · Lea County/Hobbs/
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
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 1, 1999
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,833 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 2,692 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 16 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.79 inHg
- Observed at
- HOB, 2 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.
Other investigations on N4755D · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.