NTSB Identification: MIA07LA092.
The docket is stored in the Docket Management System (DMS). Please contact Records Management Division
Accident occurred Saturday, May 05, 2007 in Marstons Mill, MA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 09/26/2008
Aircraft: Cessna 182A, registration: N403RA
Injuries: 1 Serious.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot checked the fuel quantity with a wooden stick and estimated 21 gallons of fuel was onboard for the parachute flight. The takeoff and climb to 10,000 feet msl, and release of the jumpers, was normal. On the return to the airport, while on the turn to base leg, the engine lost power. During the forced landing, the airplane collided with a tree and a house. Post accident examination of the airplane showed about 3 gallons of aviation fuel was recovered from the wreckage. The airplane's Type Certificate Data Sheet has an annotation of 10 gallons of the total fuel is unusable. Examination of the engine assembly, engine accessories, and airframe fuel system showed no evidence of precrash mechanical failure or malfunction.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be: The pilot's improper preflight planning and preparation resulting in an in-flight loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Full narrative available
Index for May2007 | Index of months