NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On April 24, 2006, at 1131 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182B, N7110E, registered to and operated by a private-rated pilot as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight collided with trees during an emergency landing near Gainesville, Georgia. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The airplane received substantial damage. The private pilot was fatally injured. The passenger received serious injuries, and had no recollection of the accident. The flight originated from Massey Ranch Airpark (X50), New Smyrna Beach, Florida on April 24, 2006, at 0845.

A statement made by the pilot's daughter indicated that the pilot was returning home to the Kalkaska City Airport, Kalkaska, Michigan, from New Smyrna, Florida. She watched as the he departed New Smyrna in the airplane and that was the last contact she had with her father.

A witness stated he observed the airplane flying low over trees and "the pilot was attempting to restart the engine". The airplane collided with the top of a large tree and came to rest upside down on the ground". The passenger in the airplane was calling for help, and the witness went to the accident site and assisted the passenger in getting out of the airplane. The witness and Hall County Sheriff's and Fire Department stated they did not smell or see any fuel around the crash site.

PILOT INFORMATION

Review of information on file with the FAA airman's Certification Division, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, revealed the pilot was issued a private certificate on June 02, 1999, with ratings for single-engine land. The pilot held a third class medical issued on December 1, 2004, with limitations that he wear correcting lenses.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The last entry in the pilot's logbook revealed the airplane was flown from Tallahassee, Florida to New Smyrna, Florida on April 10, 2006. The deceased pilot's daughter stated she believed her father had "topped off the fuel" before departing New Smyrna, Florida, to his home in Michigan. The last known refueling of the airplane was on April 17, 2006, at Airpark Aviation Center, New Smyrna, Florida, with 30.5 gallons of 100 low lead fuel. It was nor determined if the airplane flew after this refueling prior to the accident flight. The exact amount of fuel onboard the airplane at the time of the accident was not determined.

Review of the Cessna 182 Owners Manual states on page 1-8, that the left and right main fuel tanks hold 32.5 gallons of fuel of which 27.5 gallons of fuel are useable in all flight conditions. In addition, 3.5 gallons of additional fuel are useable from the left and right main fuel tank in level flight only.

WREACKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The crash site was located approximately 5-miles east of the Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport, Gainesville, Georgia. The airplane was located inverted at the base of a large tree in the parking lot at the Expressway Wrecker Service, 2615 Athens Highway, Gainesville, Georgia.

Examination of the airplane and crash site by an FAA inspector revealed that all flight controls remained attached to their airframe components. Examination of the fuselage revealed the lower engine cowling exhibited buckling on the left and right side. The upper engine cowling was buckled on the forward right side. The nose landing gear assembly remained attached, and the strut was slightly bent aft.

The cabin section and doorpost were displaced to the right, and the right side cabin door was jammed closed. The left cabin door was separated from the airframe. The remainder of the cabin and baggage sections were intact and exhibited buckling throughout the fuselage. The seats remained attached to the seat rails and cabin floor. The instrument panel was undamaged and the ignition switch was discovered in the both position. Examination of the throttle control, mixture control, and propeller governor revealed they were in the full forward position. The fuel selector handle was in the both position, and both fuel indicators were in the "E" for empty orientation. The left and right main landing gear assembly was undamaged, and still attached to the fuselage. All flight controls remained attached to their airframe components.

The empennage was buckled and attached to the fuselage. The vertical stabilizer and rudder was crushed downward and bent to the left. The left horizontal stabilizer was not damaged. The right horizontal stabilizer was buckled on the inboard side of the empennage. The left elevator was buckled and attached to the horizontal stabilizer. The right elevator was buckled and attached to the right horizontal stabilizer.

The left wing was separated one foot outboard of the landing light. The rear spar attachment point was broken from the wing assembly. The remaining 9-foot section of the left wing was crushed and broken from wing assembly. The left flap was buckled and attached to the flap track and wing assembly. The left aileron was broken into two parts, and separated from wing attachment points of the wing. The left wing strut was separated from the fuselage and attached to the wing. The left fuel bladder was not breached. The fuel cap vent was unobstructed, and the o-ring was not damaged. The fuel cap had a tight seal and no fuel staining was observed on the left wing surface. There was no fuel in the left wing tank.

The right wing assembly was attached at the forward wing spar attachment point. The rear wing spar attachment point was separated from the wing assembly. The leading edge of the right wing assembly was damaged 6 feet outboard of the wing root. The remaining wing was crushed. Examination of the right fuel tank revealed it was empty of fuel. The flap was in the retracted position, and one flap cable was separated at the wing root. A 4-foot section of the right aileron remained attached to the wing assembly. The remaining section of the aileron was destroyed. The right wing strut was attached to the wing assembly and the fuselage. The right main fuel tank was not breached. The fuel cap vent was unobstructed, and the o-ring was not damaged. The fuel cap had a tight seal and no fuel staining was observed on the right wing surface.

Examination of the engine assembly revealed the engine remained attached to the engine mount. The engine mount did not show any visual damage. There was no visible external or accessory damage. The fuel servo and fuel pump remained attached to the engine and was not damaged. The upper spark plugs were removed and visually inspected. The lower spark plugs were inspected with a boroscope, and all of the spark plugs exhibited normal operational signatures in accordance with the Champion Aviation "check-a-plug" comparison chart. The inner cylinders were inspected in accordance with TCM SB03-3, and exhibited normal operational signatures. The valve-train continuity was confirmed with a boroscope examination in conjunction with the crankshaft rotation. The left and right magneto timing was verified at 22 degrees BTDC. The carburetor fuel inlet screen was unobstructed and the presence of residual fuel was observed. The carburetor accelerator pump expelled fuel in conjunction with the throttle movement. The throttle, propeller, and mixture continuity was established from the cockpit to their respective linkage attach points on the carburetor and the propeller governor. The propeller remained attached to the propeller flange and the spinner was attached, and compressed aft. No evidence of rotation was present on the spinner of the propeller. One propeller blade was bent aft with a length-wise scratch, and the remaining blade was undamaged.

The engine was prepared for an operational check run. The engine was attached to the airframe and electrical power was provided using the airplanes electrical system. An external battery was utilized due to damage of the airplanes battery. A fuel source was provided from an external fuel tank with 100LL fuel connected to the left main fuel supply line and the fuel selector was placed in the "left" position. The accident propeller spinner was removed, and the propeller was utilized for the operation check.

The engine was started with the propeller and mixture levers advanced to their stops. A "high-RPM" setting was confirmed at the propeller governor, and a "full-rich" setting was observed at the carburetor. The throttle was placed approximately one-quarter inch from the idle position. The magneto switch was placed in "both" and the starter button was engaged. The engine started with one full rotation of the propeller. A normal start was observed without hesitation or stumbling in the RPM. The engine was advanced to 1,200 rpm (14" manifold pressure (MP) in order to warm up the engine. The engine was stabilized at this setting for approximately three minutes. The digital RPM indicator failed shortly thereafter. The throttle was then advanced to approximately 25"MP, and was stabilized at this setting for approximately five minutes. The throttle was moved fully aft to the idle position and was stabilized for approximately one minute, and the airplanes manifold pressure gauge indicated approximately 11" MP. The airplanes engine oil temperature gauge indicator was in the "green" normal operating range during the entire duration of the run. The engine was shut down normally by pulling the mixture lever to idle cut-off. No anomalies were noted during the engine run.

PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

The DeKalb County Forensic Science Center performed a postmortem examination of the private pilot on April 25, 2006. The reported cause of death was blunt head, neck, and chest trauma. The Forensic Toxicology Research Section, Federal Aviation Administration, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed postmortem toxicology of specimens from the pilot. The results were negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, and ethanol.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

According to the Airpark Aviation Center personnel, on the morning of April 24, 2006, the pilot came into the office to pay for the tie-down fees dating back to April 10, 2006.

According to the "Cruise and Range Performance Chart" in the Cessna Owner's Manual, it estimated the aircraft should have used between 23.8 gallons (Maximum Range Setting), and 31.9 gallons (Highest power setting on the chart) of fuel during the flight, if it were flown at 5,000 feet MSL.

Review of the FAA approved aircraft operator's manual, dated July 198,1 for the Continental O-470L engine revealed that at 75% brake horsepower the engine will have a fuel burn rate of 15.4 gallons per hour at sea level, at standard day atmosphere.

The airplane was released to Atlanta Air Salvage on August 30, 2006.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilots improper preflight planning and preparation which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.