Event WPR14LA042

Factual narrative

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn November 3, 2013, about 1315 mountain standard time (MST), a Cessna 180, N3148C, while on approach to land experienced a loss of engine power near St. Johns, Arizona. The owner/pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The airline transport pilot was not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The cross-country personal flight departed Delhart, Texas, about 1100, with a planned destination of St. Johns, Arizona. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The pilot reported that during approach to land following a 3.4 hour cross country flight the engine lost power about 1 mile east of the runway. The wind was from the west at 20 knots, gusting to 30 knots. The pilot determined he would not make it to the runway and made an emergency landing in a dirt field. During approach to land the pilot did not use carburetor heat. The pilot further stated that he had refueled the airplane to capacity at the self-service fuel pit prior to departing. The airplane wreckage was recovered for further examination. During the wreckage recovery the right wing fuel tank was void of fuel, the left wing fuel tank had less than four gallons of fuel. It was noted that the fuel system was intact, and no sign of any leaking fuel from either fuel tank. The pilot stated to the FAA inspector that he had made the same flight many times before and he could not understand how he could have run out of fuel this time. On November 20, 2013, the aircraft was examined at Air Transport, Phoenix, Arizona. During the examination the airplane was configured to allow for a test run of the engine. The engine was supplied fuel by means of an external fuel tank. The engine started immediately without issue. After the engine warmed up, it was noted that the oil pressure and fuel pressures were normal. The engine was shut down and restarted without difficulty. The magneto check was completed with both left and right magnetos and observed roughly 150 rpm for both. No abnormalities were found which would preclude normal operation of the engine. The airline transport pilot was conducting a cross-country flight. While on final approach to the destination airport, the airplane experienced a loss of engine power. The pilot subsequently made a forced off-airport landing, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. During the recovery of the wreckage, no fuel was found in the right wing fuel tank and less than 4 gallons of fuel was found in the left wing fuel tank. The fuel system was intact, and no sign of fuel leakage from either tank was observed. The engine was test run with no anomalies noted. Although the pilot had conducted the flight many times before without incident, given the evidence, it is likely that the pilot did not ensure that adequate fuel was onboard the airplane for this flight, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the total loss of engine power. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid level - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Pilot - C