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Aviation safety reports, made easier to study

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NTSB Report

May 15, 2004 · Cessna 188B · N188SA

Pleasant Hill, MO

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
May 15, 2004
Injury Outcomes
1 injury (1 minor injury)
Location
Pleasant Hill, MO
Aircraft
Cessna 188B
Tail Number
N188SA
Injuries
Minor
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
NTSB Number
CHI04LA120

The airplane was on a positioning flight when it sustained substantial damage on impact with trees during a forced landing after a loss of engine power in cruise flight. The pilot reported that he had finished spraying the last field at 1715 and the left fuel gage showed 1/2 tank (14 gallons) of fuel remaining and the right tank was dry. The pilot reported the airplane consumed about 14 gallons of fuel per hour, and that he thought he had about 45-60 minutes of fuel remaining when he departed the field. The pilot reported that the engine quit while in cruise flight, and he executed a forced landing and impacted trees at approximately 1745. The fuel system was inspected during the recovery of the airplane. The right fuel tank was dry. The left wing tank had a ruptured fuel line. The inspection revealed there was no fuel found from the fuel line to the engine driven fuel pump. No fuel was found from the engine driven fuel pump to the mixing valve/fuel control. No fuel was found in the line from the fuel control to the fuel distributor/spider.

NTSB Probable Cause

Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's improper fuel calculations. Contributing factors to the accident included the inaccurate fuel gage and the trees.

Full Narrative

On May 15, 2004, at 1745 central daylight time, a Cessna 188B, N188SA, operated by 1 Low Flyer Inc., sustained substantial damage on impact with trees during a forced landing after a loss of engine power in cruise flight. The commercial pilot received minor injuries. The 14 CFR Part 91 positioning flight departed at 1700 from a private airstrip near Liberty, Missouri, where it had been conducting aerial spraying, and was en route to Lawrence Smith Memorial Airport (LRY), Harrisonville, Missouri. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan was filed. The pilot reported that he had finished spraying the last field at 1715 and the left fuel gage showed 1/2 tank of fuel remaining. He reported that he headed south for Harrisonville, Missouri. He flew over Lee's Summit Airport, Lee's Summit, Missouri, and the Aries power plant near Pleasant Hill, Missouri. He reported, "I noticed no power from [the] engine and began looking for a place to land. [The] engine was windmilling. I was out of altitude. I heard the airplane hit the trees." During a telephone interview, the pilot reported that the right tank was dry when he departed the field for Harrisonville, and the left gage indicated 1/2 tank of fuel, or about 14 gallons of fuel. He reported the airplane burned about 14 gph and that he had about 45-60 minutes of fuel remaining. He reported, "Appears I ran out of gas. I should have had one hour of fuel by the gas gage." The fuel system was inspected during the recovery of the airplane. The right fuel tank was dry. The left wing tank had a ruptured fuel line. The inspection revealed there was no fuel found from the fuel line to the engine driven fuel pump. No fuel was found from the engine driven fuel pump to the mixing valve/fuel control. No fuel was found in the line from the fuel control to the fuel distributor/spider.

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time17:45 CDT
Nearest Airport0nm
Flight Plan FiledNone
Flight Plan ActivatedNo
Aircraft FireNo
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftCessna 188B
Tail NumberN188SA
Aircraft CategoryAir
DamageSubstantial
Operating RulePart 91
Engines1
Engine TypeReciprocating
Engine DetailsContinental · IO-520 · Reciprocating · 300
Seats1

People & Injuries

Injury Summary1 injury (1 minor injury)
Fatal0
Serious0
Minor1
Uninjured0
Total1
Crew 1Age 46 · Second Class · Minor

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
LightDaylight
Wind130° @ 5 kt
Visibility10 sm
CeilingNone
Temperature / Dew Point66 F / 48
Altimeter30.17 inHg
Observation Time22:53
Weather SourceWFAC

Appendix: Source Data