20001224038949A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Cessna 182P · Mitchellville, MD · December 24, 2000

Date
December 24, 2000 · 11:30 local
Place
Mitchellville, MD
Airport
Freeway Airport
Phase of flight
Forced/Precautionary Landing
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N58833
NTSB investigation
NTSBNYC01LA060
Reported as
Cessna 182P
Reported engine
Continental O470R
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
897 total743 in this make and model26 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) At about 200 feet after takeoff from runway 18 at W00 the a/c had a severe power loss due to carburetor icing and crashed into the trees about 3/4 of a mile off the end of the runway. (.4)on December 24, 2000, about 1130 eastern standard time, a Cessna 182P, N58833, was substantially damaged during a forced landing after takeoff from the Freeway Airport (W00), Mitchellville, Maryland. The certificated commercial pilot and a passenger sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight destined for the easton airport, easton, Maryland. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR part 91. During a telephone interview, the pilot stated that he performed a pre-flight inspection of the airplane, which included sumping the airplane's wings and "belly" fuel drains. After an engine run-up, which included a carburetor heat check, the airplane departed runway 18. The pilot described the takeoff roll and lift-off as normal; however, when the airplane was about 250 to 300 feet above the runway, he experienced a significant loss of engine power, "like the throttle was pulled back to the to the idle position." He applied carburetor heat, and verified that the throttle, propeller, and mixture settings were in the full forward positions. The pilot performed a forced landing into trees, about 3/4 mile south of the airport. The pilot further described the power loss as, "very smooth, with no sputtering." He did not recall the engine RPM. Examination of the wreckage by a federal aviation administration (FAA) inspector and representative from teledyne Continental motors did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions. The top rows of spark plugs were removed. Their electrodes were intact and sooted. The engine crankshaft was then rotated by turning the propeller and thumb compression was noted on all cylinders. Additionally, spark was obtained from all top spark plug leads. Examination of the carburetor did not reveal any malfunctions. Additionally, the fuel observed in the carburetor inlet line and carburetor bowl was light blue and absent of contamination. It was noted that the carbureted air box was unobstructed. The pilot reported 800 hours of total flight experience, of which, about 600 hours was in the make and model of the accident airplane. The temperature and dewpoint reported about the time of the accident, at an airport about 17 miles north-northeast of W00 was: 34 degrees f, and 12 degrees f, respectively. Examination of an FAA carburetor icing probability chart revealed that the reported temperature and dewpoint was outside of the probable icing range. Additionally, the pilot stated that the engine was equipped with a carburetor ice detector, which did not indicate a carburetor icing condition.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) AT ABOUT 200 FEET AFTER TAKEOFF FROM RUNWAY 18 AT W00 THE A/C HAD A SEVERE POWER LOSS DUE TO CARBURETOR ICING AND CRASHED INTO THE TREES ABOUT 3/4 OF A MILE OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY. (.4)ON DECEMBER 24, 2000, ABOUT 1130 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, A CESSNA 182P, N58833, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING A FORCED LANDING AFTER TAKEOFF FROM THE FREEWAY AIRPORT (W00), MITCHELLVILLE, MARYLAND. THE CERTIFICATED COMMERCIAL PILOT AND A PASSENGER SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT DESTINED FOR THE EASTON AIRPORT, EASTON, MARYLAND. THE FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. DURING A TELEPHONE INTERVIEW, THE PILOT STATED THAT HE PERFORMED A PRE-FLIGHT INSPECTION OF THE AIRPLANE, WHICH INCLUDED SUMPING THE AIRPLANE'S WINGS AND "BELLY" FUEL DRAINS. AFTER AN ENGINE RUN-UP, WHICH INCLUDED A CARBURETOR HEAT CHECK, THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED RUNWAY 18. THE PILOT DESCRIBED THE TAKEOFF ROLL AND LIFT-OFF AS NORMAL; HOWEVER, WHEN THE AIRPLANE WAS ABOUT 250 TO 300 FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY, HE EXPERIENCED A SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF ENGINE POWER, "LIKE THE THROTTLE WAS PULLED BACK TO THE TO THE IDLE POSITION." HE APPLIED CARBURETOR HEAT, AND VERIFIED THAT THE THROTTLE, PROPELLER, AND MIXTURE SETTINGS WERE IN THE FULL FORWARD POSITIONS. THE PILOT PERFORMED A FORCED LANDING INTO TREES, ABOUT 3/4 MILE SOUTH OF THE AIRPORT. THE PILOT FURTHER DESCRIBED THE POWER LOSS AS, "VERY SMOOTH, WITH NO SPUTTERING." HE DID NOT RECALL THE ENGINE RPM. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE BY A FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) INSPECTOR AND REPRESENTATIVE FROM TELEDYNE CONTINENTAL MOTORS DID NOT REVEAL ANY MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS. THE TOP ROWS OF SPARK PLUGS WERE REMOVED. THEIR ELECTRODES WERE INTACT AND SOOTED. THE ENGINE CRANKSHAFT WAS THEN ROTATED BY TURNING THE PROPELLER AND THUMB COMPRESSION WAS NOTED ON ALL CYLINDERS. ADDITIONALLY, SPARK WAS OBTAINED FROM ALL TOP SPARK PLUG LEADS. EXAMINATION OF THE CARBURETOR DID NOT REVEAL ANY MALFUNCTIONS. ADDITIONALLY, THE FUEL OBSERVED IN THE CARBURETOR INLET LINE AND CARBURETOR BOWL WAS LIGHT BLUE AND ABSENT OF CONTAMINATION. IT WAS NOTED THAT THE CARBURETED AIR BOX WAS UNOBSTRUCTED. THE PILOT REPORTED 800 HOURS OF TOTAL FLIGHT EXPERIENCE, OF WHICH, ABOUT 600 HOURS WAS IN THE MAKE AND MODEL OF THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE. THE TEMPERATURE AND DEWPOINT REPORTED ABOUT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, AT AN AIRPORT ABOUT 17 MILES NORTH-NORTHEAST OF W00 WAS: 34 DEGREES F, AND 12 DEGREES F, RESPECTIVELY. EXAMINATION OF AN FAA CARBURETOR ICING PROBABILITY CHART REVEALED THAT THE REPORTED TEMPERATURE AND DEWPOINT WAS OUTSIDE OF THE PROBABLE ICING RANGE. ADDITIONALLY, THE PILOT STATED THAT THE ENGINE WAS EQUIPPED WITH A CARBURETOR ICE DETECTOR, WHICH DID NOT INDICATE A CARBURETOR ICING CONDITION.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.