Cessna 182E accident near Huntsville, Alabama, March 4, 1997
On March 4, 1997 at about 1:41 am local time, a Cessna 182E, registered N3392Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Huntsville, Alabama (Redstone Aaf airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 3 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 4, 1997 · about 1:41 am local time
- Place
- Huntsville, Alabama · Redstone Aaf · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 3 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182E · all 182Es on the register
- Registration
- N3392Y · no longer on the register · serial 18254392
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight departed with full fuel tanks and about 30 minutes then 1 hour into the flight, the pilot repositioned the fuel selector. About 1 hour 50 minutes into the flight the engine sputtered. The pilot repositioned the fuel selector and engine power was restored then the pilot attempted to divert to a nearby airport. While descending the engine quit. After descending below the base of the clouds the pilot located a road and attempted a forced landing but the right wing collided with a fence. The airplane then impacted the road and came to rest upright. Post crash examination of the airplane revealed no fuel remaining in the fuel tanks with both fuel caps in place. Fuel leakage was not noted at the scene. Each fuel tank bladder was replaced within the preceding 6 years and the pilot replaced only the left fuel cap. Examination of the right fuel cap revealed that the seal was cracked. No abnormal wrinkles were noted in the fuel bladder cells and each bladder was secured by the top hangers.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 852 hours in all; 391 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 771 as pilot in command; 184 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,983 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 20, 1996; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EDN Enterprise AL at 11:39 pm
- Destination: LOU Louisville KY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 am from HSV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.