Cessna 182R accident near Olathe, Kansas, October 1, 2023
On October 1, 2023 at about 6:02 pm local time, a Cessna 182R, registered N357HT, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Olathe, Kansas (Johnson County Executive airport). 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
The pilot’s mismanagement of the available fuel which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 1, 2023 · about 6:02 pm local time
- Place
- Olathe, Kansas · Johnson County Executive · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182R 1981 · all 182Rs on the register
- Registration
- N357HT · registry record · serial 18267806
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed on a 1 hour flight. When the airplane was on final approach at the destination airport, the pilot added power because the airplane was losing altitude. However, the engine did not respond to the increase in throttle and continued to sink. The airplane landed just short of the runway, flipped over, and came to rest inverted which resulted in substantial damage. The pilot turned the fuel selector valve to the off position immediately after the accident, so fuel selector position before the accident could not be confirmed. There was no fuel leaking out of the fuel tanks, and there was no fuel on the runway. Neither wing fuel tank was breached and when the wing tanks were drained following the accident, the right fuel tank had about 45 gallons of fuel and the left fuel tank was empty. According to the manufacturer’s pilot operating handbook (POH), each tank holds 46 gallons of fuel of which 44 gallons is usable fuel. The fuel tanks, fuel system, and engine were examined after the accident and no mechanical failures or malfunctions were found that would have precluded normal operation. Before departing for the 1 hour flight, the airplane was fueled with 20 gallons of fuel (10 gallons per side). The pilot said that with the 20 added gallons of fuel, he estimated that the plane had about 70 gallons (35 gallons per side) when he departed. Performance calculations revealed that total fuel consumed for the accident flight would have been between 9.3 to 13.4 gallons of fuel. If the airplane had 70 gallons of fuel when it departed, there should have been about 56 to 60 gallons of fuel remaining (28 to 30 gallons per side). Based on the left tank having no fuel in it after the accident and the right tank being full, it is likely that the pilot was operating on only the left fuel tank for several flights. When he departed on the accident flight, the left tank was filled with 10 gallons of fuel, which was about the amount the engine would have burned during the 1 hour flight..
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
- Nose over/nose down during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Fuel starvation during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › (general) › Effect on equipment
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 583 hours in all; 217 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 583 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 21, 2021
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,020 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 9, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-470-UCF (piston); 2,649 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EWK Newton KS at 5:00 pm
- Destination: OJC Olathe KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 4,097 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from KOJC, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KOJC 011753Z 20005KT 10SM CLR 31/16 A3019
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
10 documents, released by the NTSB on February 5, 2025. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | POH Excerpt | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Engine and Fuel System Exam Notes | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Email from Airport Manager | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 5 | ADS-B Data | spreadsheet | Download |
| 6 | Performance Charts | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Performance and Fuel Burn | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Email with Dodson Confirming Fuel in Tanks | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 9 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 10 | Release of Bulk Wreckage | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.