ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 237370
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| Date: | Wednesday 24 June 2020 |
| Time: | 13:01 LT |
| Type: |  Cessna 182R Skylane |
| Owner/operator: | Brentco Aerial Patrol |
| Registration: | N958HP |
| MSN: | 18267923 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1981 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 19420 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental O-470-U18B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Winfield, Titus County, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Survey |
| Departure airport: | Cushing Municipal Airport, OK (CUH/KCUH) |
| Mount Pleasant Regional Airport, TX (KOSA) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
About 4.1 hours after the pilot's departure to conduct a pipeline patrol flight, the engine began to “sputter' and “run rough' while at an altitude about 850 ft above the ground. The pilot was unable to restore engine power by “switching fuel tanks a couple of times' and selecting a full-rich fuel mixture. The engine “surged' between idle and a high rpm a couple of times before it lost all power. The pilot located an open field for a forced landing, but the airplane was unable to stop before it collided with a fence and trees that bordered the field. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage.
Postaccident examination revealed that the right-wing fuel tank was breached during impact and contained about 1 gallon of fuel. The left-wing fuel tank remained intact and contained about 1 gallon of fuel. The cockpit fuel selector lever was found in the BOTH position; however, the shaft between the cockpit fuel selector lever and the fuel selector valve disconnected during impact. Testing of the fuel selector valve established that fuel from the left fuel tank was being used at the time of the accident and confirmed normal valve operation in all selectable positions.
The pilot reported that the flight departed with full fuel tanks (88 gallons usable) and was unsure of the fuel selector position before the engine began to run rough. Based on the reported fuel consumption rate of 10 to 11 gallons per hour, the airplane would have used about one-half of its fuel capacity when the loss of engine power occurred after 4.1 hours of flight. It is likely that the pilot departed with the fuel selector valve positioned to an individual fuel tank, instead of using fuel simultaneously from both tanks, which resulted in fuel starvation and the loss of engine power. Additionally, the low altitude at which the loss of engine power occurred significantly reduced the amount of time available to the pilot to troubleshoot and restore engine power before the forced landing.
Probable Cause: The total loss of engine power due to the pilot's improper fuel management, which led to fuel starvation. Contributing to the accident was the low altitude at which the loss of engine power occurred.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB CEN20LA245
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N958HP
FAA register: https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=958HP
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 14 April 2016 | N958HP | Private | 0 | Moorestown, Michigan | |
sub |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 26-Jun-2020 05:06 | Geno | Added |
| 30-Sep-2020 13:22 | Aerossurance | Updated [Location, Phase, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 28-Jun-2021 13:11 | aaronwk | Updated [Time, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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