Cessna 182B accident near Ellington, Connecticut, June 24, 2002

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

After the parachutists jumped, the airplane was descending through 9,000 feet msl, and the engine lost partial power. The pilot verified that carburetor heat was on, the cowl flaps were closed, the fuel selector was positioned to "Both," and the mixture was rich. She continued descending and entered a left traffic pattern for the runway. The pilot initially judged her pattern distance based on the available engine power. However, while turning from base to final leg, the engine lost all power. The pilot did not think that she would be able to glide to the runway, and planned a forced landing to the parachute drop zone. She was subsequently too high for that field, and performed a forced landing in a cornfield. After the accident, an FAA inspector performed a successful engine run, utilizing both fuel tanks. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the fuel tanks had not been compromised. The left tank contained approximately 2 gallons of fuel and the right tank contained approximately 6.75 gallons. Review of fueling records revealed that the airplane was fueled to capacity 3.9 hours prior to the accident, according to the tachometer. During that period, the pilot had added 4.5 gallons to the right fuel tank. Review of the airplane owner's manual revealed that the engine consumed approximately 14 gallons of fuel per hour, and 10 gallons of fuel were unusable during normal flight operations.

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.