Monument Airport: Monument, Oregon

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On October 2, 2009, about 1240 Pacific daylight time, N1621C, a Cessna 180, lost engine power during flight and the pilot performed a forced landing in rugged terrain near Mitchell, Oregon. The private pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot sustained minor injuries, one passenger sustained serious injuries, and one passenger was not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and the pilot had requested and received flight following. The pilot departed about 1030 from Pistol Creek airstrip, a private airstrip in the Idaho backcountry, and was destined for Roberts Field Airport, Redmond, Oregon.

An Oregon State Trooper, who was also a private pilot, responded to the accident site. The trooper interviewed the pilot who reported that the engine lost power during the flight and then he force-landed the airplane. The Trooper documented the accident site and noted that the throttle, mixture, and propeller controls were in the full forward position. The flap lever was at 0 degrees. The fuel selector valve was positioned at “Both.” The magneto switch was in the off position. The trooper noted that the left wing was extensively damaged and the right wing was positioned vertically against a tree. He did not see fuel or smell the odor of fuel near either wing. The trooper also interviewed several hunters in the area that had witnessed the event. The witnesses reported that they were standing outside when they heard a popping noise. They looked up and saw the airplane fly overhead with no power. The airplane disappeared behind the trees prior to
impact.

The pilot submitted several statements following the accident. The first statement was received on October 15. He reported that prior to his original departure from Redmond, he requested that the fuel tanks be filled to “...within 1/2-inch of the necks and noted 23 gallons pumped on the truck meter.” He flew direct to Pistol Creek and used 1/3-1/2 carburetor heat for approximately 40 percent of the flight. The pilot estimated 10 gallons of fuel for each hour of flight. The pilot’s calculations showed that he had 58.2 gallons of fuel total in the airplane, and he had used 22.5 gallons with 35.7 gallons remaining. He had flown 2.25 hours. When the airplane was tied down at Pistol Creek, the pilot ensured that it was secured on level ground and checked to make sure that no fuel was dripping from the airplane. When he departed from Pistol Creek, he circled around an area that he and one of his passengers had hunted in the previous year, and then flew
direct to Redmond. The carburetor heat usage during the flight was similar to the first. The pilot indicated that he used a fuel burn rate of 10 gallons per hour for elapsed time, and 12.5 gallons per hour for tachometer time. At 4 hours and 20 minutes since the airplane had been refueled, the pilot’s calculations showed that just under 15 gallons of fuel were remaining based on elapsed time, and 8.2 gallons of fuel were remaining based on tachometer time.