On June 12, 2019, a Cessna 182E was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Maitland, Florida. The private pilot and passenger were killed in the crash.
Earlier on day of the accident, the pilot and passenger flew the airplane from Oconee County Regional Airport (KCEU) in Clemson, South Carolina, to Executive Airport (KORL) in Orlando, Florida.
A fuel receipt revealed that the pilot bought 21.1 gallons of fuel before departing KCEU. His filed flight plan indicated that the airplane departed KCEU with four hours of fuel on board. According to radar data from the FAA, the duration of the flight from KCEU to KORL was 3.10 hours. The pilot did not purchase fuel at KORL before departing for his next destination, Massey Ranch Airpark (X50) in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
Air traffic control radio communication information shows that the pilot declared an emergency with air traffic control, stating the airplane was not getting fuel out of the right tank. He asked for the nearest airport and the controller provided vectors back toward KORL. The controller cleared the pilot to land and instructed him to contact the tower controller at KORL. The pilot also told the tower controller that the airplane was not getting fuel out of the right tank. The controller cleared the pilot to land on Runway 13, but the pilot did not respond, and no further communications were received from the plane.
A witness in a boat on the northeast side of Lake Maitland saw the airplane flying overhead. The engine was sputtering “like it was running out of gas,” he told investigators.
He watched the airplane fly over the lake to the north, then make a 180° turn back toward the lake. He thought the pilot was trying to perform a water landing. The witness stated that it looked like the airplane may have hit treetops at the edge of the water because it nosed over and descended straight into the water, impacting “very hard.” He immediately went over to the airplane, which was still above water, however, it quickly sank.
The airplane was located in Lake Maitland at a depth of 20 feet. Two gallons of fuel were removed from each wing tank and from the single auxiliary tank. The left and right wings remained attached to the airframe, and their respective control surfaces remained attached. Both left and right main fuel tanks remained intact and unbreached. The fuel caps were in place and secure. The rudder, elevator, and vertical stabilizer were attached and not damaged. The main landing gear was attached and not damaged.
The instrument panel was intact, however the panel was separated from its mounts. The throttle, mixture, and propeller controls were in the forward position. The fuel selector valve was in the right main fuel tank position. The auxiliary fuel pump switch was in the off position.
The airplane was recovered to a salvage facility and secured to a trailer in preparation for an engine run. The fuel that was removed from the airplane was used to conduct a post-accident engine operational check. The engine started without hesitation and ran continuously for about three minutes at various power settings.
A JPI 700 engine monitor was recovered from the airplane and sent to the National Transportation Safety Board Vehicle Recorders Laboratory for data download. The data showed the cylinder head temperatures (CHT) and exhaust gas temperatures (EGT) decreasing two minutes before the data ended. The data also revealed that the fuel flow rate spiked during that time consistent with air introduced into the fuel lines.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s inadequate preflight fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
This June 2019 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Pilot error kills more people than anything else !!! Nothing more to say !!!
What was the pilots total hours and how many hours in a 182. hi performance aircraft??.Tragic loss of 2 lives.
Based on the pilot’s statement that he could not get fuel from the right tank, it seems possible that the gauge was over reading.
Not sure I understand why, if there were 2 gallons each in L & R tanks on recovery, why the engine would quit due to fuel starvation. Even at 15 gph, would that not have provided at least another 10 minutes of run time?
Every airplane has unusable fuel. 182E model has 2.5 per side in the main tanks.
Running out of fuel is the most irresponisble thing any pilot can do. Zero excuse.
From the sat. photos, it looks to be a very densely populated area.
There is a golf course 1/2 mile east, and the departure airport is only 5 mile to the SE.
with only 2 gallons of fuel in each of the 3 tanks, it’s more like ‘fuel exhaustion’.
It wasn’t feeding fuel from the right tank, because there was no fuel, just air.
more ‘stupid pilot tricks’….taking off with little fuel…..sad.
I don’t know how I would react for sure but I hope would be able to crash land on to some flat surface without the 50’ stall spin. That part of Florida must have had some areas where they could have hit some flat ground at say 50-60 knots. And that should be survivable. Or am I way off?
If you will look the area where he crashed is highly congested .
Looks like the pilot may have choose the water to minimized death and destruction on the ground below . Keep in mind I wasn’t there and it is a tragic event so I am only speculating .My condolences to the families .