Cessna 180 accident near Kahlotus, Washington, November 15, 2022
On November 15, 2022 at about 1:53 pm local time, a 1955 Cessna 180, registered N24227, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Kahlotus, Washington (Hackney airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to check the fuel selector position before takeoff and his improper fuel management, which resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power. Also causal was the pilot’s loss of airplane control which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 15, 2022 · about 1:53 pm local time
- Place
- Kahlotus, Washington · Hackney · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180, built 1955 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N24227 · registry record · serial 31504
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, his mechanic had just completed an annual inspection on the airplane, and he was flying it home. While en route at 1,000 ft above ground level, the engine experienced a total loss of power. During the forced landing to a road, the airplane stalled about 40 ft above ground level and impacted the ground hard, which resulted in substantial damage to the upper fuselage. After the accident, the pilot learned that the mechanic had moved the fuel selector from the BOTH position to the LEFT position. The pilot further reported that he did not check the fuel selector position before takeoff. A postaccident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the fuel selector was in the LEFT tank position. The left fuel tank was nearly empty of fuel, and the right fuel tank was full. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and attributed the power loss to fuel starvation.
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 starvation during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 541 hours in all; 378 in this make and model; 541 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 22, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: unkn
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 377 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 14, 2022
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S61 S61 ID
- Destination: Eltopia WA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 WPR23LA042.