Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 182 near Hot Springs, VA — 2015-08-08

Final reportERA15LA300
Sign in to save
Date
2015-08-08
Location
Hot Springs, VA, USA
Airport
HSP
Aircraft
CESSNA 182
Registration
N7506S
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Takeoff roll

Probable cause

A partial loss of engine power during initial climb due to the failure of a magneto. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to operate the airplane without a current annual inspection.

NTSB narrative

The non-pilot-rated passenger had recently purchased the airplane, which had not been flown in the previous 6 years and did not have a current annual inspection. He and his brother, a private pilot, were returning the airplane to their home airport. During the initial climb after takeoff, about 100 ft above ground level, the engine rpm "dropped"; the pilot landed on the remaining runway but was unable to stop the airplane before it departed the end of the runway and nosed over. A postaccident examination revealed that the right magneto did not produce spark. It is likely that the magneto failed during the takeoff, resulting in the loss of engine power. The pilot reported that fuel sampled from the right wing tank before the accident flight had a green tint and postaccident photographs showed green staining on the right side fuselage consistent with a leak from the right wing. The source of the green tint was not determined; however, it likely did not affect engine operation since the fuel selector was set to the left fuel tank, which did not have any evidence of green-tinted fuel, and no green tint was observed in the fuel strainer.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted takeoff after initial engine sputter.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 6 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents6

Related mishaps