NTSB Factual Report

On June 30, 1999, about 1245 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182Q, N4784N, registered to Asheville Jet Center Inc., collided with a wire during a forced landing near Rock Springs, North Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight. The airplane was substantially damaged. The commercial-rated pilot, the commercial-rated student pilot, and one passenger reported no injuries. The flight originated from Asheville, North Carolina, about 1000.

According to the pilot-in-command (PIC), the CFI (certified flight instructor), that was given instructions on this flight, the pilot receiving instruction (the second pilot), had preflighted the airplane's fuel system, "...[by getting] up on the stool and checking the fuel quantity. He first dipped his finger to a depth of about one finger joint and a half ( approximately 1.5 inches) and mentioned that 'we were topped off.' He then used a dip-stick provided in the plane to check the quantity more accurately. I asked how much we had, and he said about 39 to 40 gallons...after the accident, I checked and found that the dip-stick...was not the correct one."

The PIC further stated that, "...prior to takeoff I glanced at the fuel gauges...and I would have say they were somewhere between 3/4 and full...climbing thru about 4,500 feet msl...the engine started to run rough. Carb [sic] heat smoothed it out for a few seconds, but then the engine quit altogether...we went thru the engine-out checklist in an effort to get a restart, never thinking we had run out of fuel...we noted the right fuel gauge reading empty. The left gauge...read about 1/2 to 2/3 full."

The PIC said that the second pilot picked out a field and asked "...what I thought of it. I said go for it." As they descended the PIC said he "...spotted a fairly straight rural road off to the right. As we got lower, I did not like the looks of the field, its furrows, trees at the end, and our height above." The PIC told the second pilot that, "...I was taking control of the airplane and heading for the road...we spotted a couple of wires across the road, which we passed over. However, I still had to contend with the wires running parallel along the left side of the road. There were 4 wires, and as I tried to fit the C182 between them and trees on a bank lining the right side, I clipped the inner of the four wires. It decelerated us somewhat and deflected us to the right, whereupon the right wing tip hit a pine tree...we struck the ground, collapsed the nose gear and mains, and then we slid...the Hobbs hour meter showed 2.1 hours...inspection of the airplane revealed no fuel in the tanks...I can only speculate as to the reason(s) for this fuel exhaustion accident."

The FAA inspector, who examined the wreckage, stated that he removed the fuel caps, and that "both caps were firmly on." He said the right wing had come to rest wing high, he looked into the tank, and he "...could not detect any fuel in the tank." He then removed the fuel caps from the left tank, and "...no fuel could be detected." He removed the wing inspection panel located at the top of the wing near the outboard section of the fuel tank. According to the inspector, "...located in the front corner of the tank was about one pint of fuel. Both fuel tanks had maintained their structural integrity. There was no evidence fuel had vented overboard via caps, fuel vent, or drains. There was fuel in the fuel strainer (the low point of the fuel system). When the fuel line that went from the engine to just above the fuel strainer was disconnected very little fuel came out...the amount would fit into the palm of a cupped hand."

The pilot told the FAA that when he departed Asheville he had about 80 gallons of fuel, "enough to fly conservatively approximately 5.5 hours. The aircraft had flown 2.1 hours." The accident airplane had a wet wing fuel tank, with a total fuel capacity of 92 gallons, with 88 gallons being usable fuel. According to what the pilot told the FAA, the fuel was checked by dipping a finger in the fuel tank. The fuel was about 1 1/2 inches from the top. The fuel was then checked with a clear plastic tube with gallon markers on it, and "it indicated approximately 40 gallons per tank."

The FAA inspector stated that prior to the accident flight on June 30, 1999, the airplane had not been flown since June 27, 1999. According to the inspector's statement, "...on that day it [N4784N] was returned by a renter...who had flown it a total of 6.5 hours on the Hobbs. He had originally departed Asheville on Saturday, June 26, 1999. According to the renter he departed with topped tanks. The only fuel he had put into the aircraft during the 6.5 hours was 10 gallons at the last departure point Roanoke, Virginia...the operator of the aircraft has no record that the aircraft was fueled between its return on June 27 and the flight which led to the accident."

NTSB Probable Cause

**This report was modified on 2/24/2016. Refer to the public docket for this accident for additional information.**

Inadequate preflight by the commercial pilot/CFI receiving instruction resulting in an in-flight loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.