ROCHESTER, MA, USA
N53074
CESSNA 185F
THE PILOT WAS APPROACHING THE POND FOR A LANDING IN THE FLOAT-EQUIPPED AIRPLANE, WHEN THE ENGINE SUDDENLY QUIT. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO GLIDE TO THE POND, AND THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED TREES DURING THE FORCED LANDING. THE FAA INSPECTOR EXAMINED THE AIRPLANE AND FOUND 1 GALLON OF FUEL IN THE LEFT TANK AND NO FUEL IN THE RIGHT TANK. THE ENGINE WAS PLACED IN A TEST STAND AND STARTED. THE FAA INSPECTOR STATED IN HIS REPORT: 'THE ENGINE WAS STARTED AND RAN FOR APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES AT VARIOUS POWER SETTINGS...WITH NO APPARENT MALFUNCTIONS.'
On Saturday, October 9, 1994, at 1150 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 185F, N53074, a float-equipped airplane, registered to and piloted by Walter P. Faria, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing in Rochester, Massachusetts. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The airplane departed Nantucket Bay, Massachusetts, destined for a pond in Rochester. The pilot stated that there were 18 gallons of fuel on the airplane prior to departure. As he was approaching the pond for a VFR landing, the engine quit. He was unable to glide the airplane to the pond, so he attempted to land in a cranberry bog. The airplane struck trees during the forced landing. In his report, the pilot stated: [After the accident] I went back to the accident scene and watched as approximately 18 gallons of gasoline was taken from the plane. An FAA Inspector examined the wreckage and observed that there was no fuel in the right tank and 1 gallon in the left tank. On October 20, 1994, the engine was installed on a test stand and started under the supervision of the FAA Inspector. In his report, the inspector stated: The engine was started and ran for approximately 15 minutes at various power settings ranging from 500 RPM's to 2400 RPM's with no apparent malfunctions.
The pilot's inadeqaute calculation of fuel and inadeqaute inflight decision which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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