# NTSB GAA16CA259: Cessna 182, N4793D, Reno, NV, May 24, 2016 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: May 24, 2016, 13:25 local (20:25 UTC) - Place: Reno, NV - Coordinates: 39.29, -119.510002 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.2900&lon=-119.5100&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute-cruise: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report September 12, 2016 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: General Aviation Accidents - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 93244 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=GAA16CA259 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/93244/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=93244 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA16CA259 ## Probable cause The pilot's inadequate fuel planning, resulting in fuel exhaustion and substantial damage to the firewall during the forced landing. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Fluids: fuel](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010): Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware · Fluid level (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 182A, 13 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md?model=2072704), [All aircraft, 1,695 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md) - [Planning/preparation: fuel planning](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 182A, 8 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030/cases.md?model=2072704), [All aircraft, 719 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute-cruise: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 182A, 20 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md?model=2072704), [All aircraft, 3,820 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md) - [Enroute-cruise: Fuel exhaustion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192); cases with it: [Cessna 182A, 9 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192/sequence.md?model=2072704), [All aircraft, 804 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192/sequence.md) - [Enroute-cruise: Emergency descent initiated](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/130); cases with it: [Cessna 182A, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/130/sequence.md?model=2072704), [All aircraft, 42 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/130/sequence.md) - [Landing: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Cessna 182A, 34 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=2072704), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) - [Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092); cases with it: [Cessna 182A, 5 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092/sequence.md?model=2072704), [All aircraft, 2,102 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092/sequence.md) ## Analysis According to the Federal Aviation Administration, Aviation Safety Inspector that arrived at the scene shortly after the accident, he located the uninjured pilot in command (PIC) and a passenger rated pilot who were the only occupants of the airplane. The inspector reported that the PIC told him that he had fueled the airplane prior to the flight. The PIC told the inspector that he had flown 2.5 hours on the right tank which indicated 3.9 gallons of fuel remained per the electronic fuel quantity indicator, at which time he switched to the left tank which indicated 15 gallons of fuel remained per the electronic fuel quantity indicator. The PIC reported to the inspector thatafter switching tanks the engine ran for an additional five minutes and ceased operation. The PIC told the inspector that he contacted air traffic control (ATC) stating that he had experienced an "engine failure", and that they would not make it to the nearest airport. The pilot landed the airplane on a highway five miles from the destination airport. During the landing the nose gear collapsed and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. During a post-accident examination of the airplane by the FAA Inspector, there wasn't any usable fuel found in the left or right fuel tanks, and the paved surface where the airplane landed did not contain any evidence of fuel spillage. The airplane landed 5 miles from the nearest airport. The pilot's destination airport was 17.5 nautical miles southwest of the accident site. The distance between the departure airport and the destination airport was about 415 nautical miles. According to the pilot operating handbook, the range of the accident airplane is 880 nautical miles. The NTSB Investigator contacted the fixed base operator who reportedly fueled the airplane prior to the flight in order to acquire the fuel records. The operator did not have any fuel records for the accident airplane. ## Factual narrative According to the Federal Aviation Administration, Aviation Safety Inspector that arrived at the scene shortly after the accident, he located the uninjured pilot in command (PIC) and a passenger rated pilot who were the only occupants of the airplane. The inspector reported that the PIC told him that he had fueled the airplane prior to the flight. The PIC told the inspector that he had flown 2.5 hours on the right tank which indicated 3.9 gallons of fuel remained per the electronic fuel quantity indicator, at which time he switched to the left tank which indicated 15 gallons of fuel remained per the electronic fuel quantity indicator. The PIC reported to the inspector that after switching tanks the engine ran for an additional five minutes and ceased operation. The PIC told the inspector that he contacted air traffic control (ATC) stating that he had experienced an "engine failure", and that they would not make it to the nearest airport. The pilot landed the airplane on a highway five miles from the destination airport. During the landing the nose gear collapsed and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. During a post-accident examination of the airplane by the FAA Inspector, there wasn't any usable fuel found in the left or right fuel tanks, and the paved surface where the airplane landed did not contain any evidence of fuel spillage. The airplane landed 5 miles from the nearest airport. The pilot's destination airport was 17.5 nautical miles southwest of the accident site. The distance between the departure airport and the destination airport was about 415 nautical miles. According to the pilot operating handbook, the range of the accident airplane is 880 nautical miles. The NTSB Investigator contacted the fixed base operator who reportedly fueled the airplane prior to the flight in order to acquire the fuel records. The operator did not have any fuel records for the accident airplane. Several attempts by the NTSB Investigator were made in order to communicate with the PIC and the passenger rated pilot to no avail. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N4793D](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4793D-2021-10-23), registration cancelled 2021-10-23, S/N 34893, built 1958 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 182 (A) - Registry model: [Cessna 182A](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-182a) (registry code 2072704) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental O-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (registry code 17026, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 34893 - Year built: 1958 - Engines: Continental IO-540-AB1A5 230 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Extreme Source Inc. - Registered owner: Extreme Source Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: U10, PRESTON, ID - Destination: RNO, RENO, NV - Flight plan: Unknown - Equipment: Unknown ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 68; injuries: none; private, commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; flight hours: 4,101 total, 2,500 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 260° at 9 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 6,000 ft broken - Temperature: 59 °F, dew point 37 °F - Altimeter: 29.93 inHg - Observed at: KRNO, 17 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 20160524010099A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20160524010099A), May 24, 2016: Cessna 182A, Reno, NV, Substantial damage. During cruise flight the pilot reported a loss of engine power. The pilot made an emergency landing on mccarran boulevard south of west plumb street… ## Docket (3 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 1, 2016, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=93244. 446 KB in all. - Memorandum for Record - FAA Inspector (Rose) (item 1, .PDF, 122 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40444087&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Memorandum%20for%20Record%20-%20FAA%20Inspector%20(Rose)-Master.PDF - FAA Inspector's Statement (item 2, .PDF, 228 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40444088&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=FAA%20Inspector%27s%20Statement-Master.PDF - Photo (Courtesy of FAA) (item 3, .PDF, 1 photo, 96 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40444089&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%20(Courtesy%20of%20FAA)-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.