N195JL

On July 30, 2023, about 10:01 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 195 airplane, N195JL, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Ravensdale, Washington. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot reported that he and his wife departed the Cavanaugh Bay Airport (66S) Coolin, Idaho, at 0803 en route to Norman Grier Field Airport (S36) Kent, Washington. Each of the fuel tanks were reading slightly less than 30 gallons, for a total of about 57 to 60 gallons. He calculated the flight to be about 2 hours and recalled that the wind was about 15 to 20 knots from the west.

ADS-B data revealed that the airplane departed 66S around 0807. About an hour into the flight, the pilot noticed that there were about 17-18 gallons in the left tank, and about 10 to 12 in the right tank. He reported that he had never seen this before in this airplane. His wife commented that she could smell raw fuel, and he mentioned that he smelled a hint of fuel. He switched the fuel selector from BOTH to LEFT until the tanks were level with around 12 gallons per side. He then switched the tank selector back to BOTH. He then calculated that he had about 1 hour 20 minutes of fuel remaining, and about 45 minutes until arrival to his destination. At 15 minutes remaining from his destination, he saw that the right tank quantity indicator was reading 5 gallons, and the left tank quantity indicator was reading 7 to 10 gallons. After about ten more minutes the engine started to sputter, and then lose power. He switched to the left tank and the engine regained power “for about a minute or so” and then “went to idle.” He then switched the fuel tank selector to BOTH and performed a forced landed to a clearing but collided with a 3-foot metal post and a 15 ft by 15 ft structure. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and empennage. Prior to exiting the airplane, the pilot shutdown the engine that had continued running around 600 rpm. The last ADS-B data point recorded the airplane about 4,472 ft east of the accident site at 1000.

The airplane came to rest, leaning on the left-wing, in a commercial facility. All major components of the airplane remained secured to the fuselage. The pilot reported that during the recovery, where he assisted, they drained about 5 gallons from the left tank and about 3.5 gallons of fuel from the right tank. The airplane was relocated to a secure facility for further examination.

Postaccident examination revealed the left-wing exhibited evidence of fuel exiting out of the filler port and trailed aft in an amount significant enough to create a buildup of dirt and staining on the polished aluminum, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Left wing showing a buildup of dirt/fuel residue on the polished aluminum.

The pilot reported that his postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed blue fuel stains under the carburetor bowl and on the cowling underneath the carburetor bowl, as shown in figure 2.

Figure 2. Evidence of fuel staining found underneath the carburetor and on the cowl.

No other mechanical malfunctions of the airframe were observed that would have precluded normal operations.

Figure 2. Left-wing filler port showing wear marks.

A test run of the engine was conducted with no anomalies noted. The engine performed normally at speeds up to 2,200 rpm. No fuel was observed leaking from the carburetor before, during, and after the engine run.

According to the pilot, when leaned out, the engine burned about 18 gallons per hour, and when not leaned out, the engine burned about 21 gallons per hour. He reported that he had leaned the engine out for about 1.75 hours of the flight. Calculations revealed a 2.5 to 3.1 hours fuel duration with 52 to 55 gallons of useable fuel.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Type Certificate Data Sheet (TCDS) for the Cessna 195, stated in part, “Fuel Capacity 81 gallons of fuel (two 40.5 gallons tanks in wings at (+63). Usable fuel in each tank: 38 gal.”

A review of the fuel system for the Cessna 195 (figure 3) revealed the airplane’s two fuel tanks gravity feed individually to the fuel selector valve. A single fuel line then delivered fuel to the remaining fuel system components. Other than a common vent, there were no fuel lines that could allow fuel to migrate from one tank to the other tank.

Figure 3. Illustration from the Cessna 195 Owner’s Manual, showing the fuel system.