Pilot Debrief

CESSNA P210N near Pleasanton, TX — 2016-11-13

Final reportCEN17LA039
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Date
2016-11-13
Location
Pleasanton, TX, USA
Aircraft
CESSNA P210N
Registration
N44C
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Climb

Probable cause

Maintenance personnel's improper installation of the throttle linkage attachment hardware, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power when the hardware separated in flight.

NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot reported that, about 20 minutes into the cross-country flight, the engine suddenly experienced a partial loss of power. The pilot attempted to restore engine power but was not successful. During the subsequent forced landing to a road, the airplane struck a car, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. Examination of the airplane revealed that the hardware that attached the throttle linkage to the engine was not present. Given that the airplane had flown for only a few hours following recent maintenance, it is likely that maintenance personnel did not properly secure the throttle linkage hardware during that maintenance. No other anomalies were noted that would have precluded normal operations.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted the flight after initial power loss.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 4 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents4

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