NTSB Factual Report

On July 29, 2002, at 1053 central daylight time, a Cessna 182Q single-engine airplane, N4896N, being operated as Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Flight 4248, was substantially damage during a forced landing following a loss of engine power while on approach to the McAllen Miller International Airport (MFE), McAllen, Texas. The airplane was owned and operated by the Civil Air Patrol, Inc., of Maxwell Air Force Base, near Montgomery, Alabama. The commercial pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 public use positioning flight. The cross-country flight departed Rio Grande City (67R), Texas, at 1000.

The day before the accident, the airplane was fueled with 50.8 gallons of aviation fuel. The 856-hour pilot reported that the airplane was full of fuel (88 gallons usable) when it was flown from Waco, Texas, to the Stinson Municipal Airport (SSF) near San Antonio, Texas. The flight time for that day 1.7 hours.

On the morning of the accident flight, during his preflight inspection at SSF, the pilot determined that he had sufficient fuel (65 gallons) for the planned flight to 67R. The pilot filed a flight time of 3 hour and 15 minutes on his VFR flight plan from SSF to MFE with a stop over at 67R.

The flight departed SSF at 0730 with 3 passengers on-board. The cruise altitude was 4,500 feet msl at a power setting of 2,250 rpm. The flight encountered a 25 knot headwind during cruise flight. The airplane landed at Rio Grande City, Texas, where the passengers deplaned. The pilot stated that fuel was not available at Rio Grande City, and the final destination was McAllen for refueling. At about 1000, the flight departed 67R for MFE.

At 1051:37, the pilot transmitted "McAllen tower this is CAP flight 4248, I'm declaring an emergency I'm running out of fuel."

At 1051:47, the pilot transmitted "I'm running out of fuel I have the airport in sight but I have no place to put this thing [airplane] down."

At 1051:50, the controller transmitted "CAP flight 4248 runway 13 cleared to land."

At 1053:03, the pilot transmitted "field right here in front of me."

Radar contact was lost and there were no further transmissions from the pilot.

The pilot reported that during the landing roll in the field, the airplane struck a berm, nosed over, and came to rest inverted. On the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) safety recommendation block, the pilot recommended in part "Have more fuel on board."

The FAA inspector, who responded to the accident site, the pilot, the operator and a mechanic found the airplane in the field approximately 4 miles short of runway 13. The left wing, left wing strut, right main landing gear, and nose landing gear sustained structural damage. The lower fuselage was crushed upward, and the upper portion of the rudder was bent. Examination of the fuel system revealed 1.5 gallons of fuel in the right fuel tank and zero fuel in the left fuel tank. The accumulated flight time since the last refueling was 4.6 hours (1.7 Waco to SSF plus 2.9 from SSF to 67R to the accident site).

At 1053, the MFE weather observation facility reported the wind from 170 degrees at 19 knots gusting to 27 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, few clouds at 3,100 feet, temperature 33 degrees Celsius, dew point 23 degrees Celsius, and an altimeter setting of 29.96 inches of Mercury.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to refuel the airplane resulting in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.