Cessna 182 accident near Dandrige, Tennessee, July 30, 2011
On July 30, 2011 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182, registered N5813B, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Dandrige, Tennessee (Dumplin Field 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
The loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of poor planning.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 30, 2011 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Dandrige, Tennessee · Dumplin Field Airport · 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
- N5813B · registry record · serial 33813
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Skydiving flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he fueled the airplane for two flights with skydivers and thirty minutes of reserve fuel. He further stated that during the second approach he had to adjust his intended flight path for other airplane traffic. Then, as the pilot decreased the pitch of the airplane on final approach, the engine sputtered and lost power. The pilot landed the airplane in a field; however, during the landing roll the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing spar. The pilot reported that the airplane experienced fuel starvation and that he did not maintain the required reserve. The pilot indicated that more fuel would have been his recommendation to avoid this 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
What happened, in order
- Fuel exhaustion during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 11,000 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 91 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: June 6, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,218 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 12, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 Series (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 86TN Dandrige TN at 2:30 pm
- Destination: 86TN Dandrige TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 3,100 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 5:30 pm from KTYS, 24 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.
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.