Cessna 180 accident near Humble, Texas, June 3, 2010
On June 3, 2010 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N154JD, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Humble, Texas (None airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's inadequate fuel management.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 3, 2010 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Humble, Texas · None · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 UNDESIGNAT · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N154JD · no longer on the register · serial 30942
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot said that he departed with approximately 55 gallons of fuel on board (about 3.5 hours total) and departed on a long cross country flight. Approximately three hours into the flight, while on an ILS approach into his destination airport in VFR conditions, the pilot said the engine suddenly stopped, but the propeller continued to windmill. He pumped the throttle, and finally pushed it pushed full forward, but there was still no thrust. He checked the engine guages and they were normal, but he did not look at the fuel guages. A witness heard the engine sputtering as it flew overhead. The pilot was unable to maintain altitude and attempted to reach a field, but ended up colliding with the roof of a private residence. The airplane came to rest in the residence's backyard. The pilot reported not seeing any fuel leaks or streaks when he got out of the airplane. Examination of the airplane revealed there was no fuel in either wing tank, and there was no staining of the grass or foliage surrounding the airplane. When the airplane wing's were removed for salvage, less than one-pint of fuel was drained from the fuel lines.
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 exhaustion during approach
- Loss of engine power (total) during approach defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,015 hours in all; 106 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Eastland Aviation INC
The flight
- Departed from: ODO Odessa TX
- Destination: IAH Houston TX
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.