Pilot Debrief

MCHOLLAND GLASTAR near Sheridan, WY — 2014-12-10

Final reportWPR15LA058
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Date
2014-12-10
Location
Sheridan, WY, USA
Aircraft
MCHOLLAND GLASTAR
Registration
N16XP
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

A loss of engine power while maneuvering at low altitude for reasons that could not be determined during postaccident examination.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he had not flown the airplane in "some time." He added that, on the day of the accident, he performed a full power run-up and that the airplane "felt normal." The takeoff and climbout were normal; however, while the airplane was at 1,200 ft above ground level, the engine began to lose power. During the attempted forced landing, the main landing gear impacted an irrigation pipe, the left wing tip impacted a fence post, and the airplane then slid about 60 ft before coming to rest upright. The pilot reported that, after exiting the airplane, he observed a broken wire on the cowl flap cable, which he believed would have allowed the cowl flap to completely close and then resulted in the engine overheating. However, during a postaccident engine examination, it could not be determined if the wire on the cowl flap broke before or during the impact. The examination revealed no other evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal engine operation.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have conducted more thorough preflight checks before the flight.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 4 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents4

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