Summary
On September 04, 2005, a Cessna 182E (N2942Y) was involved in an incident near Toutle, WA. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft was destroyed.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The loss of engine power as a result of fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's failure to properly secure the fuel caps during his self-servicing and (improperly) preflighting the airplane. A contributing factor was the utility pole.
On September 4, 2005, at approximately 1130 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 182E, N2942Y, was substantially damaged when it impacted a utility pole during a forced landing attempt near Toutle, Washington. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured. Air Ward, Inc., of Novato, California was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross-country flight which had originated from Snohomish, Washington, approximately 45 minutes before the accident. The pilot had not filed a flight plan.
The pilot said that he had "topped the tanks" and secured the gas caps before his departure from Snohomish.
This incident is documented in NTSB report SEA05LA187. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N2942Y.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The loss of engine power as a result of fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's failure to properly secure the fuel caps during his self-servicing and (improperly) preflighting the airplane. A contributing factor was the utility pole.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On September 4, 2005, at approximately 1130 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 182E, N2942Y, was substantially damaged when it impacted a utility pole during a forced landing attempt near Toutle, Washington. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured. Air Ward, Inc., of Novato, California was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross-country flight which had originated from Snohomish, Washington, approximately 45 minutes before the accident. The pilot had not filed a flight plan.
The pilot said that he had "topped the tanks" and secured the gas caps before his departure from Snohomish. He said that after approximately 30 minutes of flight, he noticed that the fuel tanks were reading approximately empty, and he "knew something was wrong." He immediately descended and headed for the nearest airport when the engine quit. During the forced landing attempt, the aircraft impacted a utility pole and separated the outboard right wing tip. The airplane continued forward and rotated to the right, subsequently the left wing tip was bent/wrinkled against an earthen road embankment.
Post accident evaluation by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector and the evaluation of photographs taken by the pilot indicate that both caps were improperly attached, and both fuel caps had bluish streak marks extending aft to the trailing edge of their wing.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# SEA05LA187