Cessna 182 accident near Tamms, Illinois, December 14, 1995
On December 14, 1995 at about 2:30 am local time, a Cessna 182, registered N2465Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tamms, Illinois. It was a business 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
fuel exhaustion due to inadequate maintenance performed on the fuel cap by the maintenance personnel, fuel siphoning out of the left fuel cap, and the failure of the pilot to properly monitor his fuel consumption.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 14, 1995 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Tamms, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N2465Q · registry record · serial 18257665
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN TOPPED WITH FUEL AND THAT HE HAD CONFIRMED IT DURING PREFLIGHT. AFTER ABOUT 3 HOURS OF FLYING, THE ENGINE QUIT. A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE TO A ROAD AND THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH TREES AND A POWERLINE POLE DURING THE FLARE. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE 'DIDN'T PUT MUCH STOCK IN THE FUEL GAUGES.' ALTHOUGH THE FUEL GAUGES WERE GOING DOWN, HE RELIED ON TIME AND DISTANCE FOR HIS FUEL CALCULATIONS. THE AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE RECORDS INDICATED THAT THE FUEL CAPS WERE INSPECTED EVERY 12 MONTHS. THE LAST INSPECTION OF THE FUEL CAPS WAS PERFORMED ON 11/28/95. NO FUEL CAPS WERE REPAIRED OR REPLACED. INSPECTION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED THAT THE LEFT AND RIGHT FUEL TANKS HAD NO DRAINABLE FUEL. THE LEFT WING SHOWED SIGNS OF FUEL LEAKING FROM THE FUEL CAP. STAINS WERE FOUND STREAMING FROM THE CAP AND ALONG THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE WING FLAP. EXAMINATION OF THE LEFT FUEL TANK FOUND THAT THE FUEL CAP WAS LOOSE AND DID NOT FIT PROPERLY.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,283 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 3,253 as pilot in command; 1,252 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,737 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 11, 1995; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IOB Mt Sterling KY at 11:30 pm
- Destination: CGI Cape Girardeau MO
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 180° at 19 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft; scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:45 am from CGI, 15 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.