Cessna 182 accident near Smithville, Tennessee, August 3, 1996
On August 3, 1996 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182, registered N8584T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Smithville, Tennessee (Smithville Municipal airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Restricted selector valve flow that resulted in fuel starvation. A factor was the automotive fuel that adversely affected an O-ring seal in the fuel selector valve.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 1996 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Smithville, Tennessee · Smithville Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N8584T · registry record · serial 18252484
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During takeoff for the sport parachute operation, the engine sputtered and quit, and the pilot landed the airplane in a residential yard. Examination revealed that fuel flow through the fuel selector valve was restricted. The fuel selector was disassembled, and the O-rings for the left side were found swelled. Placing the O-rings in the same automotive fuel as in the airplane resulted in their swelling so as to restrict flow through the selector valve. The airplane had been STC'd for the use of automotive fuel. No maintenance records were available for the selector valve.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,077 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 3, 1996
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0A3 at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from BNA, 48 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.