Cessna 182A accident near Richfield, Utah, March 19, 2001
On March 19, 2001 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 182A, registered N4918D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Richfield, Utah (Off Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
loss of engine power during cruise as a result of fuel exhaustion due to the pilots failure to refuel. Contributing factors were the pilots inadequate aircraft preflight and the unsuitable terrain for a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 19, 2001 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Richfield, Utah · Off Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182A · all 182As on the register
- Registration
- N4918D · no longer on the register · serial 51018
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
In the pilot stated that there were 38 gallons of fuel on board the airplane prior to a 1 hour and 10 minute flight to an airport with no services. At 1 hour and 20 minutes into the returning flight the engine lost power. He made an emergency landing in a field approximately 3/4 of a mile east of the airport. The airplane hit a berm during the landing roll. The nose landing gear collapsed and was torn off the airplane. The pilot later stated, "I think my reading of the fuel quantity in the site tube was in error. While I was measuring the fuel, I was interrupted, and I think I mentally recorded the wrong amount of fuel, resulting in a fuel starvation accident."
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,335 hours in all; 128 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 1,245 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,006.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 18, 2000; 80.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Needles Outpost UT at 8:00 pm
- Destination: RIF Richfield UT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 8:54 pm from MLF, 52 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.