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20110315004479A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Cessna 182P · Alachua, FL · March 15, 2011

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
March 15, 2011 · 13:30 local
Place
Alachua, FL
Phase of flight
Descent
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N430ML
NTSB investigation
NTSBERA11LA190
Reported as
Cessna 182P
Reported engine
Continental IO-550
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
2,000 total800 in this make and model8 in the last 90 days
N430MLRegistration cancelled Mar 25, 2013 · Cessna 182PS/N 18263045 · Built 1974Airframe modelCessna 182PEngine modelContinental O-470 seriesReciprocating

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.

Pilot departed leesburg, FL (klee) airport at approximately 12:30 EST for a flight to cannon creek airpark, FL. After approximately one hour of flight, and 10 miles south of destination, pilot experienced a loss of engine power at 2000 feet, while descending from cruise altitude. Pilot notified lake city municipal airport that he had an emergency and was preparing for an emergency landing. Pilot found a suitable landing area and prepared aircraft for an emergency landing. Aircraft touched down on a freshly plowed field and kept nose landing gear off the surface as long as possible. Aircraft slowed down to a point in which the airspeed could no longer keep nose landing gear off the surface, when it contacted the soft surface. Nose landing gear sank into soft ground and abruptly stopped the forward motion of the aircraft. Remaining kinetic energy caused the aircraft to rotate about the nose landing gear, in a forward motion, coming to rest in an inverted position. Pilot exited aircraft without serious injury. Partial disassembly of the aircraft engine revealed that several teeth were broken off from both the crankshaft gear and the camshaft drive gear. This failure prevented the proper operation of the valve train which caused the engine to stop functioning.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT DEPARTED LEESBURG, FL (KLEE) AIRPORT AT APPROXIMATELY 12:30 EST FOR A FLIGHT TO CANNON CREEK AIRPARK, FL. AFTER APPROXIMATELY ONE HOUR OF FLIGHT, AND 10 MILES SOUTH OF DESTINATION, PILOT EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AT 2000 FEET, WHILE DESCENDING FROM CRUISE ALTITUDE. PILOT NOTIFIED LAKE CITY MUNICIPAL AIRPORT THAT HE HAD AN EMERGENCY AND WAS PREPARING FOR AN EMERGENCY LANDING. PILOT FOUND A SUITABLE LANDING AREA AND PREPARED AIRCRAFT FOR AN EMERGENCY LANDING. AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN ON A FRESHLY PLOWED FIELD AND KEPT NOSE LANDING GEAR OFF THE SURFACE AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. AIRCRAFT SLOWED DOWN TO A POINT IN WHICH THE AIRSPEED COULD NO LONGER KEEP NOSE LANDING GEAR OFF THE SURFACE, WHEN IT CONTACTED THE SOFT SURFACE. NOSE LANDING GEAR SANK INTO SOFT GROUND AND ABRUPTLY STOPPED THE FORWARD MOTION OF THE AIRCRAFT. REMAINING KINETIC ENERGY CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO ROTATE ABOUT THE NOSE LANDING GEAR, IN A FORWARD MOTION, COMING TO REST IN AN INVERTED POSITION. PILOT EXITED AIRCRAFT WITHOUT SERIOUS INJURY. PARTIAL DISASSEMBLY OF THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE REVEALED THAT SEVERAL TEETH WERE BROKEN OFF FROM BOTH THE CRANKSHAFT GEAR AND THE CAMSHAFT DRIVE GEAR. THIS FAILURE PREVENTED THE PROPER OPERATION OF THE VALVE TRAIN WHICH CAUSED THE ENGINE TO STOP FUNCTIONING.

NTSB investigation

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

NTSB ERA11LA190Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportAlachua, FLA loss of engine power due to the failure of the camshaft gear teeth and crankshaft gear teeth for undetermined reasons.Mar 15, 2011 · Substantial damage