Pilot Debrief

Cessna 182 near Ontario, CA — 2018-11-08

Final reportWPR19LA021
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Date
2018-11-08
Location
Ontario, CA, USA
Airport
CCB
Aircraft
Cessna 182
Registration
N9914M
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Descent

Probable cause

A partial loss of engine power during descent due to an incorrectly installed carburetor.

NTSB narrative

The airplane encountered severe turbulence and downdrafts after flying through a mountain pass, and the pilot applied full engine power in an effort to arrest the descent. The engine did not respond, and the pilot performed a forced landing onto a highway. While the pilot attempted to avoid automobiles, the airplane landed hard and sustained substantial damage. Examination revealed that about 20 years and 300 flight hours before the accident, threaded studs had been used to mount the carburetor airbox to the carburetor inlet, rather than the appropriate bolts. The studs had been overdriven and penetrated the carburetor bowl, fracturing the bowl housing. Fragments of the damaged housing lay at the bottom of the bowl until the accident flight, when the turbulence likely caused them to migrate and interfere with either the float or the fuel mixture metering system.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have chosen to land in a safer area before encountering severe turbulence.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents5

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