Pilot Debrief

CESSNA TR182 near South Lake Tahoe, CA — 2016-09-05

Final reportGAA16CA465
Sign in to save
Date
2016-09-05
Location
South Lake Tahoe, CA, USA
Airport
TVL
Aircraft
CESSNA TR182
Registration
N738GK
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Go-around

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during an attempted go-around, which resulted in a runway excursion and a nose over. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to remove the carburetor heat during the attempted go-around in high density altitude conditions.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that during landing the airplane floated half way down the runway, so she decided to perform a go-around. During the go-around, the pilot reported that airplane would not climb initially and one wheel touched down on the runway, which "threw the airplane off kilter." Subsequently, the airplane did start to climb, but the flight path was over the grass to the right of the runway, so she forced the airplane down in the grass ahead. During the touchdown, the nose gear collapsed and the airplane nosed over. During a postaccident interview with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge, the pilot reported that during the go-around, she retracted the flaps to 20 degrees, but she forgot to remove the carburetor heat because she normally flies fuel-injected airplanes. The fuselage, both wings, and vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot's operating handbook for the accident airplane states in part: Balked Landing 1. Power – FULL THROTTLE and 2400 RPM [revolutions per minute]. 2. Carburetor Heat – COLD. 3. Wing Flaps – RETRACT to 20 degrees. 4. Climb Speed – 75 KIAS [knots indicated airspeed]. 5. Wing Flaps – RETRACT slowly after reach 75 KIAS. 6. Cowl Flaps – OPEN. About the time of the accident, at the accident airport, an automated weather observing system reported the wind to be variable at 6 knots, a temperature of 66 degrees Fahrenheit(19 Celsius), and a dew point of 26 degrees Fahrenheit (-3 Celsius). The airport's elevation was 6,268 feet above mean sea level (MSL) and the density altitude was 8,108 feet above MSL.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
Pilot forgot to remove carburetor heat during go-around decision.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents5

Related mishaps