- Date
- July 16, 1995, 12:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N42712Cessna 182L
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 19, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950716042039A
- Case key
- 19502
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
Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's failure to refuel. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
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
After approximately 5 hours and 15 minutes of cross country flying, as the flight approached the destination, the pilot noticed that 'the fuel gauges were indicating nearly empty.' Shortly thereafter, the engine 'quit' and the pilot executed a forced landing to a rough, uneven field. Examination of the airplane revealed no usable fuel in the tanks.
Factual narrative
On July 16, 1995, approximately 1215 central daylight time, a Cessna 182L, N42712, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of power, near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The commercial pilot and one passenger were not injured. The airplane, owned by the pilot, was operating under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The personal, cross country flight originated from Hardwick Field, Cleveland, Tennessee, at 0805, and was en route to Sundance Airpark, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. A visual flight rules flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed throughout the flight.
The pilot reported that, as the airplane approached Oklahoma City, he noticed that "the fuel gauges were indicating nearly empty" and decided to divert to nearby Expressway Junction Airpark, to refuel. After having difficulty locating Expressway Junction, he decided to continue the flight to his original destination, Sundance Airpark. Prior to reaching Sundance, the engine "quit" and the pilot executed a forced landing to a ROUGH field. Examination of the aircraft revealed no usable fuel in the tanks and structural damage to the firewall.
According to the pilot, the airplane has a 78 gallon fuel capacity; however, he measured approximately 73 gallons of fuel on board prior to departure from Cleveland. The airplane was airborne approximately 5 hours and 15 minutes prior to the forced landing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N42712
- Reported as
- Cessna 182L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 182L59155
- Airframe hours
- 2,139
- Engine
- Continental O-470L, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Edmond D. Clifford
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 28, 1995 · 31 hours before
- Departed
- HDI · Cleveland, TN
- Destination
- HSD
- 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
- 78
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,981 total · 3,265 in this make and model · 32 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F
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 N42712 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.