Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 182 near Elkton, MD — 2014-05-21

Final reportERA14LA252
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Date
2014-05-21
Location
Elkton, MD, USA
Airport
58M
Aircraft
CESSNA 182
Registration
N182PJ
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Descent

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to attain the proper touchdown point during a no-flap landing to a wet, down-sloping runway, and the airplane's dynamic hydroplaning after touchdown, which resulted in a runway overrun. Contributing to the accident was a total loss of electrical power due to an alternator failure.

Contributing factors

Contributing to the accident was a total loss of electrical power due to an alternator failure.

NTSB narrative

The airline transport pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) when the airplane experienced a total electrical failure. The pilot elected to divert to a nearby airport, which had a 2,989-ft-long runway. After reporting the airport in sight, the pilot attempted a no-flap landing; however, the pilot reported that the brakes were ineffective, and he was unable to stop the airplane on the wet, down-sloping runway. He pulled the emergency (parking) brake handle and intentionally turned off the runway in an attempt to use an access road as additional distance to stop. The airplane subsequently struck a fence and other obstructions before it came to rest. During a postaccident phone call to the air traffic control facility that was handling the flight, the pilot stated the airplane landed "without brakes," "without flaps," and that they "landed long on the runway." Examination of the airplane's electrical system revealed that the alternator provided no output because the negative (ground) field brush was completely worn down to the braided lead, which became severed. The pilot should have received cockpit indications from the ammeter and from the low voltage warning light before the complete loss of electrical power. The pilot stated that despite "aggressive" application of brakes upon touchdown, the airplane would not slow down. It is possible that the airplane entered a state of dynamic hydroplaning on the wet runway, which would have rendered the brakes ineffective. Both the wet runway and lack of flaps on landing are factors which can significantly increase an airplane's landing distance. Given these conditions, the pilot should have more precisely controlled the airplane's descent angle throughout the approach in order to touch down within the shortest possible distance. It is likely that the decreased runway length available for landing, combined with dynamic hydroplaning due to the wet runway, resulted in the pilot's inability to stop the airplane on the runway.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have opted for a go-around instead of landing with electrical failure.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • ATC audio
  • ADS-B / radar
  • Photos
  • 11 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents11

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