Pilot Debrief

Cessna P206 near Cascade, ID — 2019-07-14

Final reportWPR19LA190
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Date
2019-07-14
Location
Cascade, ID, USA
Airport
ID74
Aircraft
Cessna P206
Registration
N131DV
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

A loss of engine power due to the pilot’s improper leaning of the engine.

NTSB narrative

After a normal preflight and engine run-up, the airplane departed. About 75 ft above ground level (agl), the engine rpm smoothly deteriorated to a total loss of power. The pilot configured the airplane in a nose-low pitch attitude in an attempt to avoid stalling and made an off-airstrip landing. The pilot could not recall his next actions but thought he may have unintentionally turned the fuel selector to the OFF position after the loss of power, thinking he was switching to the other (fuller) wing tank. The airplane collided with the thick brush off the end of the runway and nosed over, coming to rest inverted. During a postaccident examination, investigators found the fuel selector in the OFF position. The engine successfully started and ran during a test run. The postaccident examination revealed no evidence of a malfunction or failure with the engine or airframe that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot did not know the reason for the loss of engine power but opined that he possibly leaned the engine too aggressively for the density altitude.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have verified fuel selector position before takeoff.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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