ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 146499
Last updated: 23 July 2020
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| Date: | 24-JUN-2012 |
| Time: | 12:40 |
| Type: |  Cessna 182 Skylane |
| Owner/operator: | Skydive Surfcity |
| Registration: | N55DN |
| C/n / msn: | 33257 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 0.5 miles north of Watsonville Municipal Airport - KWVI, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Parachuting |
| Departure airport: | Watsonville, CA (WVI) |
| Watsonville, CA (WVI) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
The pilot stated that he departed the airport for the 15-minute skydiving flight with about 20 gallons of fuel onboard. After completing a jump run, he was returning to the airport and maneuvered the airplane on final approach. When the airplane was about 3 miles from the runway and about 1,200 feet above ground level, the engine experienced a partial loss of power. The pilot configured the airplane for the best glide speed, and, shortly thereafter, the engine quit producing any power. The airplane subsequently collided with trees in an orchard about 600 yards from the approach end of the runway.
At the accident site, there was no fuel in the right wing; the remaining fuel from the left wing totaled about 5 gallons. Neither of the tanks were breached; however, the airplane was inverted and some fuel was slowly dripping out the vent, thus it was not possible to determine the exact quantity of fuel in the tanks at the time of the accident. The fuel selector was in the “BOTH ON” position and the unusable fuel for each 30-gallon tank was 2.5 gallons; therefore, the left wing tank had usable fuel at the time of the accident. A postaccident engine examination revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause: A total loss of engine power during approach for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20120703X01944&key=1
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Jun-2012 17:30 | Geno | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 27-Nov-2017 20:45 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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