Cessna 182D accident near Oak Harbor, Washington, June 30, 2015
On June 30, 2015 at about 3:13 am local time, a 1960 Cessna 182D, registered N9980T, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Oak Harbor, Washington (Aj Eisenberg airport). It was a skydiving flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s improper preflight fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 30, 2015 · about 3:13 am local time · cases in 2015
- Place
- Oak Harbor, Washington · Aj Eisenberg · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182D D, built 1960 · all 182Ds on the register
- Registration
- N9980T · no longer on the register · serial 18253080
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Skydiving flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot reported that, during a skydiving flight, the engine experienced a total loss of power during final approach for landing. The pilot initiated a forced landing to a field, and during the landing sequence, the airplane impacted a tree. No fuel was observed in the fuel tanks or fuel lines during recovery of the wreckage. Postaccident examination revealed no mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. The company fuel log indicated that about 18.2 gallons of useable fuel were onboard the accident airplane before the first flight of the day; the accident occurred during the third flight. Although the amount of fuel onboard would have likely been adequate for three of the operator's 20-minute average flights, several flight delays occurred, and the airplane was flown a total of 2.1 hours between the three flights. Given the airplane's average fuel consumption, the fuel consumed during the three flights closely corresponded to the fuel available at the beginning of the day. Therefore, it is likely that the loss of engine power was the result of fuel exhaustion.
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) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level other cases naming the fuel system
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,020 hours in all; 57 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 889 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 28, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rear
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 23, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 2,348 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OKH Oak Harbor WA at 2:35 am
- Destination: OKH Oak Harbor WA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 am from NUW, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on November 24, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Airframe and Engine Examination Report | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Record of Email | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 5 | POH Excerpts | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Fuel Quanity Chart | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Fuel Log | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N9980T: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 182 Skylane 11,834 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470-L 19 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Delaurentis Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Washington 2,709 since 1982 · 358 in the last ten years
- Washington 10,568 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR15LA201.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.