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Accidents · NTSB ERA19FA193 · Final report

Cessna 182 accident near Maitland, Florida, June 12, 2019

On June 12, 2019 at about 3:02 pm local time, a 1962 Cessna 182, registered N3051Y, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Maitland, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The pilot's inadequate preflight fuel planning, 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
June 12, 2019 · about 3:02 pm local time
Place
Maitland, Florida · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
2 people were killed.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Cessna 182 E, built 1962 · all 182s on the register
Registration
N3051Y · no longer on the register · serial 18254051
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The private pilot departed on a visual flight rules cross-country flight; according to his filed flight plan, the airplane had 4 hours of fuel onboard. After flying about 3.1 hours, the pilot landed at an intermediate airport before continuing to his destination, which was about 34 miles away. He did not purchase fuel at the intermediate stop. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot declared an emergency with air traffic control and stated that the airplane was not getting fuel out of the right main fuel tank. The pilot was cleared to land at the nearest airport (the intermediate airport) and radio contact with the airplane was lost shortly thereafter. A witness in a boat on a lake saw and heard the airplane overhead. He stated that the engine was sputtering like it was running out of gas. He further stated that the airplane flew past the lake, made a 180° turn and flew back toward the lake; it appeared to impact trees on the lakeshore, then impacted the water. The airplane was recovered from the lake; the intact, unbreached main fuel tanks each contained about 2 gallons of fuel, and the single auxiliary tank also contained about 2 gallons of fuel. According to the owner's manual, the unusable fuel in each main fuel tank was 2.5 gallons and 0.5 gallons in the auxiliary tank. The fuel selector was found in the right main tank position. A test run of the engine using the fuel from onboard the airplane revealed no anomalies. Onboard engine monitor data from the accident flight showed that the cylinder head and exhaust gas temperatures decreased 2 minutes before the data ended. The data also showed the fuel flow rate spiked during the same time, likely due to air introduced into the fuel lines as the engine was starved of fuel.

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

  1. Fuel starvation during initial climb defining event
  2. Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
  3. Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent

The NTSB's findings

  • cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
  • cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management

Pilot

  • Certificate: private
  • Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 1,234 hours in all; 33 in this make and model
  • Last flight review: November 15, 2017
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: left
  • Injury: fatal

Passenger

  • Seat: rgt
  • Injury: fatal

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 5,835.5 hours
  • Last inspection: annual inspection, April 4, 2019
  • Maximum gross weight: 2,348 lb
  • Seats: 4
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Continental O-520 SERIES (piston); 1,579 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: ORL Orlando FL at 2:55 pm
  • Destination: X50 New Smyrna Beach FL
  • Flight plan: none

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 270° at 12 knots
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: a few clouds
  • Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
  • Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
  • Observation at 2:53 pm from KORL, 5 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew1
Passengers1

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

12 documents, released by the NTSB on May 4, 2020. 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.

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.