Chehalis, WA, USA
N8855X
Cessna 182D
The pilot reported that he landed at an airport along his route of flight to refuel. The airport was out of fuel and the pilot decided to continue his flight without refueling. While en route, the engine lost power and the pilot initiated a forced landing to a field. During the landing roll, the airplane collided with the foundation of an old structure. Post-accident inspection of the airplane found that the left wing fuel cap was missing. Blue colored streaking was observed on the top of the left wing, flap and side of the fuselage. Approximately a half gallon of fuel was present in the right fuel tank. The left fuel tank was empty. The fuel cap was later found near the fueling station at the airport where the pilot had attempted to refuel the airplane.
On May 24, 2008, about 1935 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 182D, N8855X, registered to and operated by the pilot, was substantially damaged when it impacted an abandoned structure following a loss of engine power near Chehalis, Washington. The private pilot and two of the three passengers were not injured. The third passenger was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight that was operated under the provision of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The flight departed from Lynden, Washington, about 1830. The pilot reported that he attempted to refuel at Lynden, but was unable due to the lack of fuel at the airport. The pilot decided to continue his flight home to Vancouver, Washington, despite not being able to refuel the airplane. The pilot stated that while over Olympia, Washington, the engine "missed" and he adjusted the mixture to full rich and the engine ran fine. The pilot continued the flight and reported that the engine lost all power near Chehalis. The pilot stated that the left fuel tank was showing empty and he switched to the right fuel tank which was showing 3/8 to 1/2 full. The engine regained power for a short time then lost all power again. The pilot turned toward the Chehalis Airport for an emergency landing. The airplane was high and he made a 360 degree turn to reduce altitude. The pilot stated that he was part way through the turn and realized that he was losing too much altitude and would not be able to make a landing on the runway. The pilot selected an open field short of the runway. During the landing roll, the airplane collided with the foundation of an old structure. Post-accident inspection of the airplane revealed that the left wing fuel cap was missing. Blue colored streaking was observed on the top of the left wing, flap and side of the fuselage. Approximately a half gallon of fuel was present in the right fuel tank. The left fuel tank was empty. The Lynden Police Department was contacted to assist in inspecting the area around the fueling station at the Lynden Municipal Airport. An officer reported that a four inch aluminum gasoline cap was found on the tarmac about 61 feet north of the fuel pump.
A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion caused by a missing fuel tank cap that allowed the fuel to be siphoned out. Also causal was the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection at the last airport.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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