# NTSB ERA13LA239: Cessna 182G, N2440R, Clewiston, FL, May 9, 2013 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 9, 2013, 15:10 local (19:10 UTC) - Place: Clewiston, FL - Coordinates: 26.735, -81.050834 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=26.7350&lon=-81.0508&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute-cruise: Fuel related](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/190) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report July 30, 2014 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Eastern Region Aviation - Parties: FAA\FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 86870 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA13LA239 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/86870/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=86870 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA13LA239 ## Probable cause The private pilot’s inadequate preflight planning and fuel management and the flight instructor’s inadequate supervision, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Use of equip/info: use of equip/system](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063015): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 182G, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063015/cases.md?model=2072716), [All aircraft, 1,391 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063015/cases.md) - [Attention/monitoring: task monitoring/vigilance](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02021520): Personnel issues › Psychological · Instructor/check pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 182G, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02021520/cases.md?model=2072716), [All aircraft, 330 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02021520/cases.md) - [Planning/preparation: fuel planning](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 182G, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030/cases.md?model=2072716), [All aircraft, 719 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030/cases.md) - [Fluids: fuel](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010): Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware · Fluid management (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 182G, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md?model=2072716), [All aircraft, 1,695 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute-cruise: Fuel related](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/190) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 182G, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/190/sequence.md?model=2072716), [All aircraft, 361 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/190/sequence.md) - [Enroute-cruise: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341); cases with it: [Cessna 182G, 4 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md?model=2072716), [All aircraft, 3,820 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md) - [Emergency descent: Off-field or emergency landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440); cases with it: [Cessna 182G, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md?model=2072716), [All aircraft, 3,365 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md) - [Landing-landing roll: Landing gear collapse](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094); cases with it: [Cessna 182G, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094/sequence.md?model=2072716), [All aircraft, 1,787 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094/sequence.md) ## Analysis The private pilot/owner of the airplane and a flight instructor departed on a 90-minute flight, which included multiple practice takeoffs and landings at three different airports. When the airplane was at an altitude of about 2,000 feet mean sea level, it experienced a loss of engine power. The flight instructor assumed control of the airplane and noted that the right fuel tank gauge indicated "empty" and that the left fuel tank gauge indicated 25 percent full. He performed the "engine-out" emergency procedures; however, the engine continued to lose power, and he subsequently conducted a forced landing to a grass field. Postaccident examination of the airplane, which included an engine test run, did not reveal any preimpact malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Both fuel tanks were found intact. The right fuel tank was empty, and the left fuel tank contained about 7 gallons of uncontaminated fuel, which was only 2 gallons more than the reported usable fuel. The flight instructor stated that the engine continued to operate at low power during the forced landing; however, the lack of rotational damage on the propeller assembly was consistent with a total loss of engine power. Although the reported temperature and dew point about the time of the accident were conducive to the accumulation of carburetor icing at cruise power, given the low fuel state at the time of the power loss, it was more likely that the engine lost power due to fuel starvation. ## Factual narrative On May 9, 2013, about 1510 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182G, N2440R, operated by a private individual, was substantially damaged during a forced landing, after it experienced a loss of engine power while in cruise flight near Clewiston, Florida. The flight instructor and a private pilot were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the flight that originated at Palm Beach County Airport (LNA), Lantana, Florida. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The airplane was owned by the private pilot through a limited-liability-company. According to the flight instructor, the purpose of the flight was for the private pilot to gain additional proficiently and confidence in the airplane. The private pilot and her husband, who was a certificated airframe and powerplant mechanic conducted the preflight inspection and informed the flight instructor that there was 34 total gallons of fuel (18 gallons in the right fuel tank and 16 gallons in the left fuel tank). All pretakeoff checks were normal and the airplane departed LNA without incident. The private pilot practiced takeoffs and landings at LNA, then flew to airports located in Belle Glade (X10) and Pahokee (PHK), Florida, to practice additional takeoffs and landings. After departing PHK, and climbing to an altitude about 2,000 feet mean sea level, the engine began to lose power, and the flight instructor assumed control of the airplane. He noted that the right fuel tank gauge indicated "empty" and the left fuel tank gauge indicated 25 percent full. He then performed the "engine-out" emergency procedures, which included positioning the fuel selector from "both" to the left fuel tank; however, the engine continued to lose power. The flight instructor subsequently performed a forced landing to a grass field. During the landing, the airplane encountered a drainage ditch, the nose gear collapsed, and the firewall sustained substantial damage. During a subsequent conversation, the flight instructor emphasized that the airplane's engine continued to operate at low power after touchdown in the field. He further stated that he believed that the loss of engine power was a result of carburetor ice. When asked if he utilized carburetor heat, the flight instructor stated that he followed the emergency procedures checklist, which included applying carburetor heat. He did not recall, what effect, if any, the application of carburetor heat had on engine performance. He believed the time from the beginning of the loss of power to the off-airport landing was "less than two to three minutes." Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector and an NTSB investigator did not reveal any preimpact malfunctions which would have precluded normal operation. Both fuel tanks were intact. The right fuel tank was empty, and the left fuel tank contained approximately 7 gallons of 100-low-leadaviation gasoline, which was absent of contamination. The airplane was recovered to a storage facility, where the engine was started and test run utilizing the fuel that was drained from the left fuel tank, with no anomalies noted. Additionally, examination of the three-bladed propeller assembly revealed two of the three propeller blades were bent aft, while the third blade remained straight. The propeller blades surfaces and spinner assembly did not reveal any evidence consistent with rotation at the time of ground contact. The airplane was manufactured in 1964, and was equipped with a Continental O-470 series, 230-horsepower engine. According to the pilot operating handbook, the airplane's total fuel capacity was 65 gallons (32.5 gallons per tank), with a total usable fuel for all flight conditions of 60 gallons, when the fuel selector was placed in the "both" position. The airplane was equipped with a J.P. Instruments EDM-700 engine monitor, which was removed and forwarded to the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Laboratory, Washington, DC, where it was successfully downloaded. The accident flight contained approximately 889 valid points of data over a span of about 90 minutes; however, the only parameters recorded were engine exhaust gas temperature (EGT) and cylinder head temperature (CHT) for each cylinder, and engine oil temperature. The engine EGTs and CHTs were observed to decrease about 2 minutes 30 seconds before the unit was powered off. A weather observation recorded at an airport located about 35 miles north-northeast of the accident site, about the time of the accident, included a temperature of 29 degrees Celsius (C) and a dew point of 10 degrees C. Review of an FAA Carburetor Icing Envelope chart placed the reported temperature and dew point in the possibility for icing at "glide and cruise power" area of the chart. The flight instructor reported about 5,300 hours of total flight experience, which included "more than" 500 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane. The private pilot reported about 230 hours of total flight experience, which included about 90 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N2440R](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2440R-2018-12-15), registration cancelled 2018-12-15, S/N 18255540 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 182G - Registry model: [Cessna 182G](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-182g) (registry code 2072716) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental O-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (registry code 17026, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 18255540 - Airframe hours: 4906 - Engines: CONT MOTOR O-470 SERIES 230 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, March 5, 2013 - Departed: PHK, Pahokee, FL - Destination: 2IS, Clewiston, FL - Airport: 2IS, Airglades ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Flight instructor; age 55; injuries: none; commercial, flight instructor, airline transport; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, with waivers/limitations; last flight review February 8, 2012; seat: right; restraint: 3-point; flight hours: 5,270 total, 500 in this make and model, 4,880 as pilot in command, 199 in the last 90 days, 81 in the last 30 days, 3 in the last 24 hours - Pilot; age 53; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, without waivers/limitations; seat: left; flight hours: 228 total, 90 in this make and model, 123 as pilot in command, 14 in the last 90 days, 8 in the last 30 days, 0 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 150° at 4 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 84 °F, dew point 50 °F - Altimeter: 30.12 inHg - Observed at: KOBE, 34 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20130509007459A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20130509007459A), May 9, 2013: Cessna 182G, Clewiston, FL, Substantial damage. Aircraft sustained a loss of engine power at approximately 2000 ft AGL and made an emergency landing in a cow pasture. Nose landing gear seperated from… ## Other investigations on N2440R (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB CEN16FA042](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN16FA042), Nov 16, 2015: Cessna 182G (N2440R), Sandia Park, NM, destroyed, 3 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in spatial disorientation and a loss of control. ## Docket (12 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 2, 2014, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=86870. 13.9 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 2.1 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40413960&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Flight Instructor and Private Pilot Statement (item 2, .PDF, 306 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40413961&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Flight%20Instructor%20and%20Private%20Pilot%20Statement-Redacted.PDF - FAA Inspector Statement (item 3, .PDF, 294 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40413962&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=FAA%20Inspector%20Statement-Redacted.PDF - Interview Memorandums (item 4, .PDF, 110 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40413963&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Interview%20Memorandums-Master.PDF - JPI Engine Data Monitor - Specialists Facutal Report (item 5, .PDF, 2 photos, 264 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40401760&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=JPI%20Engine%20Data%20Monitor%20-%20Specialists%20Facutal%20Report-Master.PDF - JPI Engine Data Monitor - Attachment 1 - Specialist's Factual Report (item 6, .CSV, 61 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40401762&FileExtension=.csv&FileName=JPI%20Engine%20Data%20Monitor%20-%20Attachment%201%20-%20Specialist%27s%20Factual%20Report-Master.csv - Weather Observations (item 7, .PDF, 107 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40413964&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Weather%20Observations-Master.PDF - FAA Carburetor Icing Envelope (item 8, .PDF, 255 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40413965&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=FAA%20Carburetor%20Icing%20Envelope%20-Master.PDF - Airplane Type Certificate Data Sheet and POH Excerpt (item 9, .PDF, 79 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40413966&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Airplane%20Type%20Certificate%20Data%20Sheet%20and%20POH%20Excerpt-Master.PDF - Photograph 1 – View of airplane as it came to rest (Courtesy of the FAA) (item 10, .PDF, 2.7 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40413967&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photograph%201%20%E2%80%93%20View%20of%20airplane%20as%20it%20came%20to%20rest%20(Courtesy%20of%20the%20FAA)%0D%0A-Master.PDF - Photograph 2 – Left side of propeller assembly (Courtesy of the FAA) (item 11, .PDF, 3.4 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40413968&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photograph%202%20%E2%80%93%20Left%20side%20of%20propeller%20assembly%20(Courtesy%20of%20the%20FAA)%0D%0A-Master.PDF - Photograph 3 – Front side of propeller assembly (Courtesy of the FAA) (item 12, .PDF, 4.2 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40413969&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photograph%203%20%E2%80%93%20Front%20side%20of%20propeller%20assembly%20(Courtesy%20of%20the%20FAA)%0D%0A-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.