NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ATL90FA016
Registry · N8444M
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
CESSNA 182B
Year of manufacture
1959 · 30 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR O-470 SERIES (230 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19590710
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AB91A5
Registrant of record
SLUSHER MICHAEL E
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
THE IMPROPER CALIBRATION OF THE FUEL QUANTITY GAUGES BY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL, WHICH RESULTED IN ERRONEOUS FUEL QUANTITY INDICATIONS AND LED TO FUEL STARVATION. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE UNSUITABLE TERRAIN CONDITIONS THAT EXISTED AT THE FORCED-LANDING SITE.
Factual narrative
THE AIRPLANE LOST ENGINE PWR ON FINAL, AND WAS LANDED SHORT OF THE RWY ON UNEVEN TERRAIN. EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED 1-2 QTS OF FUEL REMAINING IN THE LT TANK & 6-7 GALLONS IN THE RT TANK. THE LT FUEL QTY GAUGE INDICATED 5 GALLONS REMAINING IN THE LT TANK. THE PVT PLT & THE CHECK PLT STATED THAT THE LT TANK WAS IN USE WHEN THE ENGINE LOST POWER; THEY NOTED THAT THE 44 GAL LT TANK WAS FULL WHEN THEY PRE-FLIGHTED THE ACFT, AND THAT THEY OPERATED ON THE LT TANK FOR A TOTAL OF 1 HR 40 MIN DURING THE FLT. ACCORDING TO THE AIRFRAME LOG, THE FUEL GAUGES WERE RECENTLY RECALIBRATED. THE PLT, WHO RECENTLY BOUGHT THE ACFT, NOTED THAT THE ACFT HAD PREVIOUS PROBLEMS WITH IN-FLT FUEL SIPHONING WHICH WERE REPORTEDLY FIXED. INVESTIGATION ALSO REVEALED THAT THE LEFT WING WAS FROM AN OLDER MODEL 210. THE AIRFRAME MAINTENANCE RECORDS CONTAINED NO RECORD OF ANY MAJOR REPAIRS/MODS. ACCORDING TO NTSB FILES, THE ACFT WAS IN AN ACCIDENT IN 1984. IT WAS REPORTED AS SCRAPPED TO THE FAA IN 1985, AND RE-REGISTERED IN 1987. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1989_ATL90FA016.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (fuel starvation, maintenance). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2026 · Journal article (IJAAA)
From Reactive to Predictive: A hybrid Trust-Mediated Adoption Framework for Data-Driven Maintenance in Distributed-Authority Aviation Environments
Modern aviation maintenance operates within increasingly data-intensive technological environments, yet the operational integration of predictive maintenance into routine decision-making remains incon…
- Semantic Scholar 2025 · Article (Applied Sciences)
Decision-Making Framework for Aviation Safety in Predictive Maintenance Strategies
The implementation of predictive maintenance (PM) in aviation presents unique challenges due to strict safety requirements, complex operational environments, and regulatory constraints.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (JAAER)
Low-Resource Automatic Speech Recognition Domain Adaptation – A Case-Study in Aviation Maintenance
With timeliness and efficiency being critical in the aviation maintenance industry, the need has been growing for smart technological solutions that optimize and streamline the different underlying ta…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (JAAER)
A New Trajectory in UAV Safety: Leveraging Reinforcement Learning for Distance Maintenance Under Wind Variations
In the field of aviation, safety is a critical cornerstone, and the operation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems is deeply connected with this principle.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (IJAAA)
Just Culture in Aviation: A Metaphorical Study on Aircraft Maintenance Students
Just Culture, a sub-dimension of safety culture, has been a prominent and debated topic in aviation safety in recent years.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (IJAAA)
Performance PRISM: A Comprehensive Framework For Performance Measurement In Aircraft Maintenance
Aircraft maintenance is governed by rigorous safety requirements and high operational complexity, demanding robust performance measurement frameworks to ensure optimal maintenance practices.
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗