Cessna 180 accident near Memphis, Tennessee, July 22, 1996
On July 22, 1996 at about 11:10 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N3122C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Memphis, Tennessee. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Inadequate annual inspection that resulted in the in-flight loss of the fuel system strainer and subsequent fuel starvation. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 1996 · about 11:10 pm local time
- Place
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N3122C · no longer on the register · serial 30921
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was cleared to land on runway 27 at Memphis International Airport. About 1-1/2 miles east of the airport the pilot reported a loss of engine power. The pilot made a forced landing in a parking lot and collided with an automobile and a fence before coming to rest. An inspection revealed that the gascolator was missing, and the required safetywire for the gascolator was not found. The last inspection of the engine was done during the annual inspection in July of 1995. The aircraft had been flown 86 hours since the annual inspection.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 3,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1995; 86 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6A2 Griffin GA at 8:50 pm
- Destination: MEM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:19 pm from MEM, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.