- Date
- June 10, 1988, 08:41 local (13:41 UTC)
- Place
- Elgin, TX
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8181ZCessna 205
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 10, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880610060439A
- Case key
- 22555
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
The pilot radioed that he was running out of fuel while being vectored for landing. The ceiling was about 900 feet with 5 miles visibility and the accident occurred in a level grass field. Witnesses heard the engine cutting out and a loss of control occurred before the aircraft impacted the ground. The flight plan showed 4.5 hours of fuel and the accident occurred about 3 hours after takeoff. Raw fuel burns in the grass at the crash site showed that fuel exhaustion did not occur. No record was found that the pilot had satisfactorily completed a biennial flight review within the past 2 years. His logbook showed that he had 5 hours actual or simulated instrument flight time within the past 6 months. Post acc invest revealed that the fuel selector was on the rt tank and the rt tank contained no fuel with no evidence of fuel leakage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8181Z
- Reported as
- Cessna 205
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 205 0181
- Airframe hours
- 3,004
- Engine
- Continental IO-470-S, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Christopher, Vijjeswarapu S.
- Registered owner
- Christopher, V.S.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 19, 1988
- Departed
- PYX · Perryton, TX
- Destination
- AUS · Austin, TX
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 41
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 468 total · 72 in this make and model · 327 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 900 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AUS, 14 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.