What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Acft engine quit at 8500 feet AGL and the acft subsequently crashed in the santa fe dam recreation area, other circumstances are unknown. (.4)the aircraft had reached its cruise altitude of 8,500 feet when the engine smoothly quit. The pilot contacted a nearby airport control tower, reported the power failure, and said he needed to land. The local controller cleared the flight to land on any runway. Shortly thereafter, the pilot radioed that he would not make the field and landed gear-up in a dry wash area. During the landing, the aircraft collided with trees and an embankment. Examination of the airplane disclosed that the mixture control cable was fractured and disconnected from the cable's rod-eye end, which was still attached to the mixture arm of the fuel metering unit. The break in the cable was at the engine rod-eye end of the flexible cable at the point where the cable is swaged onto the rod. A metal outer sheath slides over the rod and the eye end of the rod is longitudinally adjustable so that the rod and cable can ride inside the outer metal sheath to provide support against bending loads. The length adjustment nuts on the rod-eye end were found adjusted all the way down so that the cable to rod swage point was outside the sheath at the full rich mixture setting. Metallurgical examination of the cable found that it failed in fatigue due to excessive and repetitive bending. According to the maintenance records, the mixture control cable was replaced at the last annual inspection on June 2, 1998, 99 hours prior to the accident. No other anomalies were found with the engine or its related systems. (-23)engine failed during climb through 8,500 ft. resulting in an emergency landing in the irwindale wash. Investigation revealed a broken mixture control cable. FAA form 8010-4 completed and forwarded to AFS-640. Safety recommendation will follow.
As the FAA filed it
ACFT ENGINE QUIT AT 8500 FEET AGL AND THE ACFT SUBSEQUENTLY CRASHED IN THE SANTA FE DAM RECREATION AREA, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN. (.4)THE AIRCRAFT HAD REACHED ITS CRUISE ALTITUDE OF 8,500 FEET WHEN THE ENGINE SMOOTHLY QUIT. THE PILOT CONTACTED A NEARBY AIRPORT CONTROL TOWER, REPORTED THE POWER FAILURE, AND SAID HE NEEDED TO LAND. THE LOCAL CONTROLLER CLEARED THE FLIGHT TO LAND ON ANY RUNWAY. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE PILOT RADIOED THAT HE WOULD NOT MAKE THE FIELD AND LANDED GEAR-UP IN A DRY WASH AREA. DURING THE LANDING, THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH TREES AND AN EMBANKMENT. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE DISCLOSED THAT THE MIXTURE CONTROL CABLE WAS FRACTURED AND DISCONNECTED FROM THE CABLE'S ROD-EYE END, WHICH WAS STILL ATTACHED TO THE MIXTURE ARM OF THE FUEL METERING UNIT. THE BREAK IN THE CABLE WAS AT THE ENGINE ROD-EYE END OF THE FLEXIBLE CABLE AT THE POINT WHERE THE CABLE IS SWAGED ONTO THE ROD. A METAL OUTER SHEATH SLIDES OVER THE ROD AND THE EYE END OF THE ROD IS LONGITUDINALLY ADJUSTABLE SO THAT THE ROD AND CABLE CAN RIDE INSIDE THE OUTER METAL SHEATH TO PROVIDE SUPPORT AGAINST BENDING LOADS. THE LENGTH ADJUSTMENT NUTS ON THE ROD-EYE END WERE FOUND ADJUSTED ALL THE WAY DOWN SO THAT THE CABLE TO ROD SWAGE POINT WAS OUTSIDE THE SHEATH AT THE FULL RICH MIXTURE SETTING. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE CABLE FOUND THAT IT FAILED IN FATIGUE DUE TO EXCESSIVE AND REPETITIVE BENDING. ACCORDING TO THE MAINTENANCE RECORDS, THE MIXTURE CONTROL CABLE WAS REPLACED AT THE LAST ANNUAL INSPECTION ON JUNE 2, 1998, 99 HOURS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. NO OTHER ANOMALIES WERE FOUND WITH THE ENGINE OR ITS RELATED SYSTEMS. (-23)ENGINE FAILED DURING CLIMB THROUGH 8,500 FT. RESULTING IN AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN THE IRWINDALE WASH. INVESTIGATION REVEALED A BROKEN MIXTURE CONTROL CABLE. FAA FORM 8010-4 COMPLETED AND FORWARDED TO AFS-640. SAFETY RECOMMENDATION WILL FOLLOW.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.