Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 182A near Ovid, NY — 2017-04-23

Final reportERA17LA166
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Date
2017-04-23
Location
Ovid, NY, USA
Airport
D82
Aircraft
CESSNA 182A
Registration
N9907B
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The mechanic's failure to inspect and clean the carburetor fuel inlet screen during the airplane’s annual inspection, which allowed undetected debris and dirt to obstruct the fuel supply and resulted in fuel starvation and the subsequent total loss of engine power.

NTSB narrative

On the fourth skydiving flight of the day, the commercial pilot climbed the airplane to 10,000 ft mean sea level (msl), and after the last jumper had departed the airplane, the pilot initiated a steep left turning descent. When the airplane was at 3,000 ft msl, the engine lost total power. The pilot was unable to restart the engine and turned the airplane to land on the runway, but when he realized that it would not be able to reach the runway, he landed in a field short of the approach end of the runway. During the ground roll, the airplane nosed over and then came to rest inverted. The fuselage and wings sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the carburetor's fuel inlet screen and gascolator screen were blocked with fibrous debris and dirt. The airplane had undergone an annual inspection 3 weeks before the accident, and the mechanic who conducted the inspection stated that he had not removed and examined the carburetor fuel inlet screen. The mechanic's failure to remove and examine the carburetor inlet screen led to the accumulated contaminants going undetected, and the contaminants obstructed the fuel flow to the carburetor and resulted in fuel starvation and the subsequent loss of engine power.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot did not drain fuel sumps to check for water or contaminants before flight.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents7

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