Cessna 180 N3148C accident near St. Johns, Arizona

Probable cause

A total loss of engine power while on final approach due to fuel exhaustion, which resulted from the pilot’s improper preflight fuel planning.

NTSB analysis

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.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR14LA042 for the full record.