Cessna 180 accident near Columbus, New Mexico, August 20, 1999
On August 20, 1999 at about 7:40 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N4796B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Columbus, New Mexico (Hacienda Sur Luna Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Fuel exhaustion because the pilot issued instructions that the fuel tanks not be filled to capacity. A factor was the unsuitable terrain on which to make a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 1999 · about 7:40 pm local time
- Place
- Columbus, New Mexico · Hacienda Sur Luna Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N4796B · registry record · serial 31694
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed Bullhead City, Arizona, en route to Columbus, New Mexico, a distance of 461 nautical miles. He planned on an average ground speed of 120 knots, with an estimated 3 hours, 45 minutes time en route. The pilot calculated the fuel burn to be between 10.5 and 11.0 gallons per hour. With 55 gallons of usable fuel, this would equate to an endurance of 4.5 to 5.0 hours. When the airplane was 3 miles from the airport, the engine lost power. The pilot made a forced landing on an unprepared surface and collided with a ditch. The pilot said he had instructed airport personnel at Bullhead City to refuel the airplane, but to 'leave it down two inches.' He admitted the engine probably lost power due to 'fuel starvation.'
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,691 hours in all; 596 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 4,800 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,059 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 2, 1998; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IFP Bullhead City AZ at 2:50 pm
- Destination: 60E
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N4796B 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.