Cessna 182A accident near Danielson, Connecticut, August 27, 2008
On August 27, 2008 at about 10:55 pm local time, a Cessna 182A, registered N169DP, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Danielson, Connecticut (Danielson Airport). It was a skydiving flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot’s inadequate fuel consumption calculations.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 27, 2008 · about 10:55 pm local time
- Place
- Danielson, Connecticut · Danielson Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182A · all 182As on the register
- Registration
- N169DP · registry record · serial 34979
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Skydiving flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot flew nine skydiving flights on the day of the accident in the Cessna 182A. Each flight was approximately 30 minutes in duration. The airplane was refueled after approximately every other flight with about 12 gallons of fuel. Prior to takeoff for the tenth and final flight of the day, the pilot thought he had about 16 gallons of fuel in the airplane; however, he did not visually confirm how much fuel was in the tanks and could not remember what the fuel gauges indicated. The pilot departed and dropped one skydiver at an altitude of 4,000 feet and two more skydivers at 10,000 feet. Upon returning to the airport, he flew an extended downwind leg to maintain separation with another landing airplane. While turning onto final approach, the pilot attempted to increase engine power, but the engine did not respond. He continued toward the runway, and during the descent the airplane struck trees, impacted the ground, and flipped over, substantially damaging the left wing and fuselage. The airplane’s fuel system held 3 gallons of unusable fuel. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed 4 gallons of fuel were drained from the left fuel tank and about 1 gallon was drained from the right fuel tank. The fuel selector was set on both and preimpact mechanical anomalies were identified. The pilot thought the airplane burned about 12 gallons of fuel per hour, based on his 100 hours of experience in the accident airplane. According to the airplane pilot operating handbook (POH), the airplane burned 12 to 14 gallons per hour, depending on varying performance conditions.
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
What happened, in order
- Fuel exhaustion during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Loss of engine power (total) during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR pattern final)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Not specified
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,371 hours in all; 862 in this make and model; 268 in the last 90 days; 110 in the last 30 days; 1,247 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,755 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 1, 2008; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Way-Up Skydive LLC
The flight
- Departed from: 5B3 Danielson CT at 10:30 pm
- Destination: 5B3 Danielson CT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 2,700 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 10:52 pm from IJD, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
Other NTSB records under N169DP the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC08CA295.