- Date
- February 9, 2025, 09:45 local (16:45 UTC)
- Place
- Salome, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N4185NCessna 140
- Defining event
- Approach: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20250209000749A
- Case key
- 199727
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 total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and the pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that, during preflight inspection, the fuel tank gauges both read full, however, he did not visually verify the fuel quantity in the fuel tanks before takeoff. Following an uneventful flight, while on final approach to the runway, the engine suffered a total loss of power. The pilot unsuccessfully attempted to restore engine power before attempting a forced landing on a dirt road. During the forced landing, the airplane impacted trees, fence posts, and terrain, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot stated that after the accident, he observed that the left fuel tank had no fuel, and the right fuel tank contained only a trace amount of fuel. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4185N
- Reported as
- Cessna 140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 13656
- Built
- 1947
- Airframe hours
- 3,515.6
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 28, 2022
- Departed
- 2AZ1 · Salome, AZ
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- 2AZ1 · Indian Hills Airpark, runway 26, 2,200 × 40 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
- 82
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 28, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 891 total · 290 in this make and model · 12 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.08 inHg
- Observed at
- KBXK, 51 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KBXK 091715Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 17/M00 A3008 RMK AO2=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 9, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.0 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.