Cessna CE-182-A accident near Siler City, North Carolina, July 2, 2002
On July 2, 2002 at about 5:58 am local time, a Cessna CE-182-A, registered N9996B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Siler City, North Carolina (Siler City Municipal airport). It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the 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
- July 2, 2002 · about 5:58 am local time
- Place
- Siler City, North Carolina · Siler City Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna CE-182-A
- Registration
- N9996B · no longer on the register · serial 34396
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he had recently purchased the airplane in Deland, Florida, and was ferrying it to Southeast Greensboro Airport, Greensboro, North Carolina. He said that he was enroute to the Siler City Municipal Airport, Siler City, North Carolina, for a scheduled fuel stop, and was approaching the airport at an altitude of about 5,500 feet, when the engine ceased operating. He said after the engine ceased developing power, the propeller continued to windmill, and added that it did not run rough, or sputter. It just ceased operating. He said he made several attempts to restart the engine, but was unsuccessful. The airplane crashed about 1 mile short of the approach end of runway 04 at the Siler City Municipal Airport. The pilot stated that prior to the accident there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions to the airplane or any of its systems. The pilot said that when he departed from Deland, Florida, the fuel tanks had been topped off, and he had 55 gallons of usable fuel on board the airplane. He stated that as the flight progressed, he monitored his progress, and based upon information obtained from his Global Positioning System receiver, as well as what the previous owner had told him the fuel consumption was for the airplane, he had cancelled his backup fuel stop at Walterboro, South Carolina. He also stated that at some during the course of the flight, FAA Fayetteville Approach Control had given him a deviation for weather. The FAA inspector who responded to the accident scene stated that during his postcrash examination of the airplane and accident scene, there was little or no fuel found. An FAA licensed airframe and powerplant mechanic with Airways Inc., Climax, North Carolina, who assisted the FAA inspector at the scene stated that a total of 0.877 gallons of fuel was found in the airplane.
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
- Flight time: 268 hours in all; 217 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 231 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,390 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 7, 2002; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental O-520-F/TS (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Adrenalin Air Sports
The flight
- Departed from: DED Deland FL at 2:37 am
- Destination: 5W8 Siler City NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 04, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 190° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 am from GSO
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.