Cessna 182A accident near Delta, Colorado, August 23, 1997
On August 23, 1997 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 182A, registered N4930D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Delta, Colorado. 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
Failure by the pilot to properly plan for the flight in that the fuel aboard was insufficient for the planned flight. Factors were: inaccurate fuel gauges and terrain condition for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 1997 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Delta, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182A · all 182As on the register
- Registration
- N4930D · registry record · serial 51030
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he took off on a local flight with approximately 11 gallons of fuel on board the aircraft according to the fuel gauges. The engine lost all power approximately 30 minutes after takeoff and the pilot performed a forced landing in a field. At the time the engine failure occurred, the pilot said the fuel gauges read approximately 1/4 fuel quantity in each tank. During landing roll, the aircraft struck a ditch shearing off the nose landing gear and nosed over causing substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, vertical stabilizer, and engine mounts. The pilot stated the engine failed due to fuel starvation with no mechanical malfunction other than the fuel gauges being inaccurate.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 789 hours in all; 49 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 789 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,081 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 10, 1996; 52 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R-25B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1V9 CO at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from MTJ, 40 miles away
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 N4930D 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.