- Date
- September 4, 2005, 11:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Toutle, WA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2942YCessna 182E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 28, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20050904033979A
- Case key
- 62427
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 loss of engine power as a result of fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's failure to properly secure the fuel caps during his self-servicing and (improperly) preflighting the airplane. A contributing factor was the utility pole.
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 said that he had "topped the tanks" and secured the gas caps before his departure from Snohomish, Washington. He said that after approximately 30 minutes of flight, he noticed that the fuel tanks were reading approximately empty, and he "knew something was wrong." He immediately descended and headed for the nearest airport when the engine lost power. During the forced landing attempt, the aircraft impacted a utility pole and separated the outboard right wing tip. The airplane continued forward and rotated to the right, subsequently the left wing tip was bent/wrinkled against an earthen road embankment. Post accident evaluation by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector and the evaluation of photographs taken by the pilot indicate that both caps were improperly attached, and there was residual evidence that fuel had been streaming aft from each refueling cap.
Factual narrative
On September 4, 2005, at approximately 1130 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 182E, N2942Y, was substantially damaged when it impacted a utility pole during a forced landing attempt near Toutle, Washington. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured. Air Ward, Inc., of Novato, California was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross-country flight which had originated from Snohomish, Washington, approximately 45 minutes before the accident. The pilot had not filed a flight plan.
The pilot said that he had "topped the tanks" and secured the gas caps before his departure from Snohomish. He said that after approximately 30 minutes of flight, he noticed that the fuel tanks were reading approximately empty, and he "knew something was wrong." He immediately descended and headed for the nearest airport when the engine quit. During the forced landing attempt, the aircraft impacted a utility pole and separated the outboard right wing tip. The airplane continued forward and rotated to the right, subsequently the left wing tip was bent/wrinkled against an earthen road embankment.
Post accident evaluation by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector and the evaluation of photographs taken by the pilot indicate that both caps were improperly attached, and both fuel caps had bluish streak marks extending aft to the trailing edge of their wing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2942Y
- Reported as
- Cessna 182E
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18253942
- Airframe hours
- 6,812
- Engine
- Continental O-470-R, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Air Ward, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 2005 · 84 hours before
- Departed
- S43 · Snohomish, WA
- Destination
- HIO · Hillsboro, OR
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
- 58
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 1, 2005
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 974 total · 30 in this make and model · 900 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,800 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.13 inHg
- Observed at
- TDO, 8 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.