At 13:00 Pacific time, a Cessna A185F amphibian lost engine power over Lynwood. While attempting an emergency landing in a high school football field, the aircraft collided with trees and a fence. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said he was flying from Seattle to Everett to refuel. He noted before takeoff that the fuel gauges read slightly below empty, but he said that he knew from experience that the fuel tank contained about 10 gallons when it read empty. During the aircraft recovery, a mechanic drained a total of about three gallons of fuel from the wings. The total fuel capacity is 80 gallons, with 74 gallons usable.
Dec. 3, Lynwood, Wash. / Cessna 185
At 13:00 Pacific time, a Cessna A185F amphibian lost engine power over Lynwood. While attempting an emergency landing in a high school football field, the aircraft collided with trees and a fence. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said he was flying from Seattle to Everett to refuel. He noted before takeoff that the fuel gauges read slightly below empty, but he said that he knew from experience that the fuel tank contained about 10 gallons when it read empty. During the aircraft recovery, a mechanic drained a total of about three gallons of fuel from the wings. The total fuel capacity is 80 gallons, with 74 gallons usable....
Key Takeaways:
- A Cessna A185F amphibian experienced engine power loss over Lynwood, leading to a crash landing attempt that involved striking trees and a fence, though the pilot was uninjured.
- The pilot had departed with fuel gauges reading below empty, relying on personal experience that suggested about 10 gallons remained in the tank despite the low reading.
- Post-incident inspection revealed only approximately three gallons of fuel in the wings, indicating probable fuel exhaustion as the cause of the engine failure.
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