Cessna 180 accident near Manchester, California, April 12, 2017
On April 12, 2017 at about 5:51 pm local time, a 1967 Cessna 180, registered N7945V, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Manchester, California. It was a personal 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 pilot’s improper preflight fuel planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the total loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 12, 2017 · about 5:51 pm local time
- Place
- Manchester, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 H, built 1967 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N7945V · registry record · serial 18051845
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, during cruise flight, the engine "quit" while at 1,500 ft above ground level. He added that he landed the airplane in a large, flat pasture, but during the landing, the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the tail and wings. In a telephone conversation with the recovery specialist, the pilot reported that the fuel tanks had not been breached during the landing, and he recovered 1.5 gallons of fuel from the right fuel tank and 2.5 gallons of fuel from the left fuel tank. The airplane was equipped with an engine monitoring unit. About 1 hour 13 minutes of data were recorded during the accident flight. The data showed a sudden decrease in exhaust gas temperatures and cylinder head temperatures for all cylinders about the same time. For further information, see the JPI Engine Monitoring Unit data plot in the public docket for this accident. The 1967 Cessna 180 Owner's Manual states, in part: "2.5 gallons [in] each tank [is] unusable in normal flight maneuvers."
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 enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise)
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › (general) › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › (general) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 1,332.5 hours in all; 602.7 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 1,332.5 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 26, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,144.6 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 13, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-470-50 (piston); 814 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EKA Eureka CA at 3:21 pm
- Destination: O69 Petaluma CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 2:41 pm from 89Q, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on October 2, 2017. 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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Jpi Print Out | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Phone Conversation (Plain Parts) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Signed NTSB Party | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Accident Photo (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Cessna 180 Owner's Manual | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
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.