Accident Summary
On July 3, 2008, at approximately 1730 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 185 airplane (registration N80596) sustained substantial damage during an emergency off-airport landing about 22 miles southeast of McCarthy, Alaska. The aircraft was operated by Ultima Thule Outfitters of Chitina, Alaska, under Title 14 CFR Part 91 as a visual flight rules (VFR) local other work flight. The solo commercial pilot was uninjured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight had departed a remote lodge airstrip about 1720.
Pilot Actions
During a telephone interview with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on July 4, the pilot reported that he ran one main fuel tank dry 10 minutes into the flight. He turned on the auxiliary fuel pump, switched the fuel tank selector to the full tank, and advanced the throttle fully forward, but the engine did not restart. After several unsuccessful attempts to restart, he focused on landing on a sandbar. The airplane stalled about 10 feet above the ground, landed hard, bounced, and nosed over. The wings and fuselage received substantial damage.
The pilot stated there were no known mechanical issues before the accident. He mentioned that learning to run a fuel tank dry in flight from a more experienced pilot was a fairly common operating procedure.
Aircraft Manual Procedures
According to the Cessna 185F Pilot Operating Handbook (POH), takeoff and landing should be performed with the fuel tank selector in the "BOTH" position to avoid inadvertent operation on an empty tank. The POH describes a procedure to exhaust a tank if the pilot "desires to completely exhaust a fuel tank quantity in flight." For restarting after fuel starvation, the POH advises: "Immediately switch to a tank containing fuel at the first indication of fuel pressure fluctuation and/or power loss. Then place the right half of the auxiliary fuel pump switch in the ON position momentarily (3 to 5 seconds) with the throttle at least 1/2 open. Excessive use of the auxiliary fuel pump and full rich mixture can cause flooding of the engine."
Pilot's Written Statement
In a written statement dated July 10, the pilot wrote that he was unsure if the auxiliary fuel pump was functioning, and that fatigue and unfamiliarity with the airplane contributed to the accident.
Safety Survey
As a result of this accident, the IIC reviewed 89 fuel-related accidents involving Cessna single-engine airplanes. The survey found that 11 accidents were linked to intentionally running a fuel tank dry in flight, and 41 were linked to unintentionally running a tank dry—together accounting for 56% of the surveyed accidents. In all 89 accidents, the pilot was unable to restart the engine after fuel starvation. The same fuel exhaustion procedure appeared in all Cessna single-engine, fuel-injected airplane pilot operating handbooks. In contrast, Piper and Beechcraft handbooks treat running a tank dry as an emergency procedure and do not advocate it as a normal practice. The FAR/AIM and two basic flight instruction manuals direct pilots to follow the manufacturer's fuel management procedures.