- Date
- June 9, 1992, 10:10 local (14:10 UTC)
- Place
- Reynoldsville, PA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N4731UCessna 180G
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920609019069A
- Case key
- 37062
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
The pilot's failure to refuel resulting in fuel exhaustion and subsequent forced landing in trees.
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 elected not to refuel at the airport where he had cleared customs. He flew an additional 110 nautical miles to another airport for refueling. The engine quit as the airplane turned onto final approach, and the pilot landed the airplane in trees. Approximately 5 gallons of fuel was drained from the fuel tanks. The pilot handbook states that 5 gallons of fuel is unusable. When the engine was placed in a test cell, it started easily and ran to full power with normal indications.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4731U
- Reported as
- Cessna 180G
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18051431
- Airframe hours
- 3,791
- Engine
- Continental O-470-R, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Harry J. Armitage
- Registered owner
- Harry J. Armitage
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 22, 1992 · 22 hours before
- Departed
- BUF · Buffalo, NY
- Destination
- DUJ · Dubois, PA
- Airport
- DUJ · Dubois-Jefferson Cty., runway 7, 5,504 × 100 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
- 75
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 7,000 total · 5,000 in this make and model · 2.5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °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 N4731U · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.