Cessna 182B accident near Santa Ana, California, August 10, 1996
On August 10, 1996 at about 7:05 am local time, a Cessna 182B, registered N2487G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Santa Ana, 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Improper fuel management by the pilot resulting in exhaustion of the aircraft's fuel supply.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made September 29, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 10, 1996 · about 7:05 am local time
- Place
- Santa Ana, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182B · all 182Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2487G · registry record · serial 51787
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft's engine quit during a nighttime descent for landing when the aircraft was 5 miles from the destination airport and the pilot made an off-airport emergency landing in an open field. The pilot acknowledged that he had exhausted his fuel supply. He said that he had cruised at 11,500 feet and that he may not have leaned the mixture properly. The salvage crew reported draining 1 gallon of fuel from the right fuel tank and 3 gallons from the left tank.
The NTSB's narratives can run to many pages; this is the opening. Read the full report at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database and is rewritten in plain English only where the NTSB used codes; the probable cause and narrative are the NTSB's own words. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX96LA303.