Cessna R182RG accident near Hilo, Hawaii, August 16, 1985
On August 16, 1985 at about 3:10 pm local time, a Cessna R182RG, registered N8798Z, was destroyed in an accident near Hilo, Hawaii. It was a ferry 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 1985 · about 3:10 pm local time
- Place
- Hilo, Hawaii · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R182RG · all R182RGs on the register
- Registration
- N8798Z · no longer on the register · serial R18201212
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON AUGUST 16, 1985, A CESSNA 182 DITCHED AT SEA FOLLOWING FUEL STARVATION ABOUT 200 MILES NORTHEAST OF HAWAII WHILE ON A FERRY FLIGHT. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE HAD 23 HOURS OF FUEL ONBOARD FOR THE 16 HOUR FLIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS EQUIPPED WITH AUXILIARY FUEL TANKS AND WAS OPERATING SUCCESSFULLY FOR A NUMBER OF HOURS PRIOR TO THE ENGINE QUITTING. THE PILOT STATED AFTERWARDS THAT THE ENGINE QUIT DUE TO FUEL STARVATION FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS.
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, foreign licence
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,965 hours in all; 1,159 in this make and model; 149 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 900 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 25, 1985; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-J3C5D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Staywood Air
The flight
- Departed from: MRY Montery CA at 2:04 am
- Destination: ITO Hilo HI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 330° at 5 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.