Cessna 182A accident near Marstons Mill, Massachusetts, May 5, 2007
On May 5, 2007 at about 3:05 pm local time, a Cessna 182A, registered N403RA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Marstons Mill, Massachusetts (Cape Code Airport). It was a skydiving 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 improper preflight planning and preparation resulting in an in-flight loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 2007 · about 3:05 pm local time
- Place
- Marstons Mill, Massachusetts · Cape Code Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182A · all 182As on the register
- Registration
- N403RA · no longer on the register · serial 34026
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Skydiving flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot checked the fuel quantity with a wooden stick and estimated 21 gallons of fuel was onboard for the parachute flight. The takeoff and climb to 10,000 feet msl, and release of the jumpers, was normal. On the return to the airport, while on the turn to base leg, the engine lost power. During the forced landing, the airplane collided with a tree and a house. Post accident examination of the airplane showed about 3 gallons of aviation fuel was recovered from the wreckage. The airplane's Type Certificate Data Sheet has an annotation of 10 gallons of the total fuel is unusable. Examination of the engine assembly, engine accessories, and airframe fuel system showed no evidence of precrash mechanical failure or malfunction.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,133 hours in all; 601 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 1,052 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,304 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2006; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2B1 Marstons Mill MA at 2:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from KHYA, 5 miles away
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.