- Date
- July 16, 1988, 19:06 local (Jul 17, 1988, 01:06 UTC)
- Place
- Boulder, CO
- Injuries
- 3 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N2815ACessna 180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 2, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880716026769A
- Case key
- 17507
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 plt, he was returning to Boulder after making a flt to aspen. He said he started the morning flt with 2/3 fuel load (about 40 gallons) but didn't know how much flt time he accumulated during the day. During his VFR approach to the Boulder airport he had a loss of engine power. He noticed the left fuel tank indicated empty, and switched fuel tanks, but the engine quit. He stated that he was unable to restart the engine and was forced to put the acft down in an open field where it ran into a ditch. Examination revealed that the right fuel tank had fuel in it and the left tank was empty.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2815A
- Reported as
- Cessna 180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30015
- Airframe hours
- 6,045
- Engine
- Continental O-470-J11, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Haas, Russell W.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 16, 1988 · 76 hours before
- Departed
- ASE · Aspen, CO
- Destination
- 1V5 · Boulder, CO
- Airport
- IV5 · Boulder Municipal, runway 8, 4,100 × 70 ft, asphalt
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
- 46
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 7,017 total · 4,500 in this make and model · 5,099 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 17 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BJC
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.