Cessna 182 · NTSB accident record

One Tank Too LongWPR24LA296

The engine quits on short final at Vernal — and the pre-landing checklist is still undone

Date
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Time
~10:30 AM MDT
Weather
VMC · clear · 10 SM · wind 220 at 4 kt · 52°F
Location
Vernal Regional (KVEL), UT (elev 5,267 ft) — Runway 17
Age
37
Hours in type (Cessna 182)
117 hrs
Hours, last 90 days
17 hrs
This leg
KBZNBozeman, MT
KVELVernal, UT
Aircraft
Model
1960 Cessna 182C
Engine
Continental O-470-R, 230 hp, carbureted
Fuel selector
LEFT / RIGHT / BOTH
Full tanks

You watched the fueler fill both mains to 55 gallons, dipped and sumped them, and reset the fuel computer to 54 gallons for margin. Weight was well under gross with your wife and son aboard.

Cruise

Nineteen inches, 2,300 rpm, about 11 gph — matching the POH chart. You switched tanks every 30 minutes to balance the load; your wife read the gauges and kept the time.

Near Rock Springs

About 45 minutes out, you switched from the right tank to the left with 1h30m of endurance showing and roughly 30 minutes to KVEL. You cruise-climbed to 11,500 to clear rising terrain.

The descent

Twenty miles out, steep descent, power slowly reduced, carb heat on, mixture still lean. A slip at 5 miles, full flaps at 3, onto the PAPI at 80 knots and 500 feet. Fuel still on LEFT. Before Landing checklist not yet run.

By the numbers
687
fuel-starvation accidents
46
a year
87%
were survivable
118
lives lost in them
Explore more accidents at ClearQuery
NTSB accidents, 2011–2025
The decision

You're on final and not yet configured for landing. What do you do?