Cessna 182B accident near Waimea, Hawaii, December 23, 2024
On December 23, 2024 at about 9:00 pm local time, a 1959 Cessna 182B, registered N7143E, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Waimea, Hawaii. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate monitoring of the fuel status while en route, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 23, 2024 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Waimea, Hawaii · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182B, built 1959 · all 182Bs on the register
- Registration
- N7143E · registry record · serial 52143
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot, who was a flight instructor, seated in the left seat, stated that while approaching their destination airport during the non-instructional flight, the engine “sputtered” and lost all power due to fuel starvation. The pilot made a forced landing into an open field short of the runway. During the forced landing roll, the airplane impacted a herd of sheep and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. Postaccident examination revealed no abnormalities with the airplane’s fuel system or engine that would have prevented normal operation. However, the wings had been removed and any fuel onboard was discarded before the postaccident examination of the wreckage. The pilot reported they departed with 70 gallons of fuel in the airplane. The student pilot-rated passenger, seated in the right seat, reported the pilot stated they had three hours of fuel onboard for the two-hour flight. Both pilots reported that the fuel selector was in the BOTH position and that, after the accident, the left fuel tank was empty and the right fuel tank still contained fuel. The pilot stated that the engine lost total power due to fuel starvation. The pilot likely did not monitor the fuel quantity during the flight. Had the fuel quantity gauges been monitored, the pilot would have recognized the imbalance.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Fuel starvation during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Contributed to outcome
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Workload management › Task scheduling › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring equip/instruments › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Task monitoring/vigilance › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: sport pilot; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 90 in the last 30 days; 9,900 as pilot in command; 4,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 1, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Flight time: 10 hours in all; 2 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,178.8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 14, 2024; 73 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 410 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HDH Mokileia HI at 7:00 pm
- Destination: HMU Waimea-Kohala HI
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.45 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 am from PHSF, 15 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PHSF 232055Z AUTO 12020G25KT 10SM CLR 20/07 A3045 RMK AO2 PK WND 11027/24 SLP204 T01990066 50001 $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC25LA013.