Cessna 182Q accident near Rock Springs, North Carolina, June 30, 1999
On June 30, 1999 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Cessna 182Q, registered N4784N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rock Springs, North Carolina. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
**This report was modified on 2/24/2016. Refer to the public docket for this accident for additional information.** Inadequate preflight by the commercial pilot/CFI receiving instruction 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
- June 30, 1999 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Rock Springs, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N4784N · no longer on the register · serial 18267367
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the certified flight instructor (CFI), and the pilot receiving instruction (PRI), while climbing through 4,500 feet Mean Sea Level, the engine started to run rough. Carburetor heat was added and, "...the engine smoothed out for a few seconds, but then the engine quit altogether ...we went thru the engine-out checklist in an effort to get a restart, never thinking we had run out of fuel...we noted the right fuel gauge reading empty. The left gauge...read about 1/2 to 2/3 full." The PRI selected a field as a forced landing area and they headed for it. The CFI did not like the area and headed for a road. They were both aware of the wires that crossed the road, and ran parallel to the road. The PRI relinquished the controls to the CFI. The CFI maneuvered the airplane between the wires. The right wing tip hit the wires, and the airplane was deflected to the right. The right wing tip hit a pine tree, and the airplane hit the ground collapsing the nose gear and the main gear. According to the CFI, the PRI had preflighted the airplane's fuel system by dipping his finger into the fuel cell. He then used a dip-stick provided in the airplane for a more accurate assessment. The PRI stated that after he checked the fuel tanks, he told the CFI that the airplane was topped off. The CFI did not confirm this. After the accident the CFI found out that the PRI had used the wrong dipstick which had been provided by Asheville Jet Center. The FAA inspector stated in his statement that the airplane was last refueled by the Jet Center on June 26, 1999. A renter who flew the airplane for 6.5 hours said he added 10 gallons of fuel on June 27. 1999. Asheville Jet Center stated that they had no record of the airplane being refueled between June 27, 1999, and the accident flight on June 30. Examination of the fuel system revealed no fuel in the right fuel tank. The left wing tank inspection panel was removed and about one pint of fuel was present. Both fuel caps were on firmly. Both fuel tanks maintained their structural integrity. There was no evidence that fuel had vented overboard. Fuel was present in the fuel strainer and in the fuel line from the engine to just above the strainer. The CFI also verified that no fuel was present in the tanks. He also stated that before takeoff he looked at the fuel gauges and they were somewhere between 1/3 and full.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,300 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 118 in the last 90 days; 43 in the last 30 days; 900 as pilot in command; 3,400 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,901 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 24, 1999; 63 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AVL Asheville NC at 2:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 pm from AVL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 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.