Cessna 182A accident near Skiatook, Oklahoma, October 12, 2011
On October 12, 2011 at about 11:48 pm local time, a Cessna 182A, registered N6171B, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Skiatook, Oklahoma (Skiatook Municipal Airport). It was a skydiving 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
A total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot’s improper fuel management.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 12, 2011 · about 11:48 pm local time
- Place
- Skiatook, Oklahoma · Skiatook Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182A · all 182As on the register
- Registration
- N6171B · no longer on the register · serial 34171
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Skydiving flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was descending to land after his final flight of the day. The airplane was about 1,500 to 1,700 feet above ground level and about 1.25 miles from the airport when the engine lost total power. The pilot made an emergency landing to an open field, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that the fuel gauges were unreliable, that he had incorrectly estimated the fuel quantity remaining, and that the loss of engine power was due to him running out of fuel. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed 1 to 2 gallons of fuel remaining in each fuel tank.
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
- Aircraft inspection event during prior to flight
- Fuel exhaustion during approach defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during approach
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 330 hours in all; 35 in this make and model
- Last flight review: July 13, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,988 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 19, 2011; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2F6 Skiatook OK at 11:15 pm
- Destination: 2F6 Skiatook OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 2,900 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 15 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.70 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from KTUL, 12 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N6171B the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.