20190505003969A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Cessna 182Q · Marion, IN · May 5, 2019

Date
May 5, 2019 · 17:12 local
Place
Marion, IN
Airport
Marion Municipal
Phase of flight
Other, Specify
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N96974
NTSB investigation
NTSBGAA19CA246
Reported as
Cessna 182Q
Reported engine
Continental O-470 series
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
3
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
450 total400 in this make and model4 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.

On may 5, 2019 at 1712 eastern daylight time (EDT) a Cessna 182Q, N96974 crashed while attempting a ?go around? At the Marion Indiana (mzz) airport. The aircraft was registered to privacy data omitted and was being operated under 14 CFR part 91 flight. The pilot and three passengers were on board; all escaped with only minor injuries. The weather condition was VFR and the wind was calm.

The Marion airport surveillance camera recorded the accident sequence. The video shows the aircraft was attempting to climb with the nose high and the wings at a very high angle of attack. The video displays buffeting (abrupt pitch changes), followed by the nose descending and the right wing dropping. The ailerons can be seen positioned for a left roll yet the aircraft continued rolling right. The aircraft, banking to the right and descending, proceeded to the right of the runway. At approximately 50 degrees of bank the right wing tip struck the ground. The aircraft cartwheeled right, pirouetting approximately 300 degrees with the nose of the aircraft striking the ground, coming to rest in an upright position. The engine and propeller were sheared from the fuselage at the firewall. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the carburetor float bowl was torn from the carburetor and the fuel lines were stretched and torn. A flame is visible in the video from the moment the engine was torn from the aircraft.

The right front and rear seat passengers evacuated approximately 20 seconds after the aircraft stopped. The pilot and the left rear seat passenger evacuated approximately 10 seconds later.

The aircraft fuselage was consumed by a post-crash fire.

The pilot stated that as he approached the runway he trimmed the aircraft nose up to offset the nose heaviness as the aircraft slowed. He stated that the aircraft bounced back into the air upon landing. The pilot stated that due to his not being comfortable with the landing and being pretty FAR down the runway, he initiated a go around from the bounce. He stated that he placed his thumb on the elevator trim switch in order to trim the nose down, and added full throttle. The aircraft pitched nose up.

The pilot stated that he started to push the yoke forward attempting to lower the nose, but that he hesitated due to the proximity to the ground. He additionally stated that he raised the flap switch to retract the flaps, adding that in hindsight they shouldn?t be raised until he established the aircraft?s proper attitude. He stated that he attempted to raise the right wing by applying left aileron, however the controls were ineffective.

The elevator trim tab was bent down approximately 30 degrees, with the tab horn sheared. Inspection of the elevator trim tab jack screw found it to be positioned approximately two full turns from fully retracted. Inspection of the elevator trim control cables found them still under tension. The aft set of stop blocks were approximately one and one half inch apart.

As the FAA filed it

ON MAY 5, 2019 AT 1712 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME (EDT) A CESSNA 182Q, N96974 CRASHED WHILE ATTEMPTING A ?GO AROUND? AT THE MARION INDIANA (MZZ) AIRPORT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS REGISTERED TO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND WAS BEING OPERATED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91 FLIGHT. THE PILOT AND THREE PASSENGERS WERE ON BOARD; ALL ESCAPED WITH ONLY MINOR INJURIES. THE WEATHER CONDITION WAS VFR AND THE WIND WAS CALM.

THE MARION AIRPORT SURVEILLANCE CAMERA RECORDED THE ACCIDENT SEQUENCE. THE VIDEO SHOWS THE AIRCRAFT WAS ATTEMPTING TO CLIMB WITH THE NOSE HIGH AND THE WINGS AT A VERY HIGH ANGLE OF ATTACK. THE VIDEO DISPLAYS BUFFETING (ABRUPT PITCH CHANGES), FOLLOWED BY THE NOSE DESCENDING AND THE RIGHT WING DROPPING. THE AILERONS CAN BE SEEN POSITIONED FOR A LEFT ROLL YET THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED ROLLING RIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT, BANKING TO THE RIGHT AND DESCENDING, PROCEEDED TO THE RIGHT OF THE RUNWAY. AT APPROXIMATELY 50 DEGREES OF BANK THE RIGHT WING TIP STRUCK THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT CARTWHEELED RIGHT, PIROUETTING APPROXIMATELY 300 DEGREES WITH THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT STRIKING THE GROUND, COMING TO REST IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION. THE ENGINE AND PROPELLER WERE SHEARED FROM THE FUSELAGE AT THE FIREWALL. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT THE CARBURETOR FLOAT BOWL WAS TORN FROM THE CARBURETOR AND THE FUEL LINES WERE STRETCHED AND TORN. A FLAME IS VISIBLE IN THE VIDEO FROM THE MOMENT THE ENGINE WAS TORN FROM THE AIRCRAFT.

THE RIGHT FRONT AND REAR SEAT PASSENGERS EVACUATED APPROXIMATELY 20 SECONDS AFTER THE AIRCRAFT STOPPED. THE PILOT AND THE LEFT REAR SEAT PASSENGER EVACUATED APPROXIMATELY 10 SECONDS LATER.

THE AIRCRAFT FUSELAGE WAS CONSUMED BY A POST-CRASH FIRE.

THE PILOT STATED THAT AS HE APPROACHED THE RUNWAY HE TRIMMED THE AIRCRAFT NOSE UP TO OFFSET THE NOSE HEAVINESS AS THE AIRCRAFT SLOWED. HE STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED BACK INTO THE AIR UPON LANDING. THE PILOT STATED THAT DUE TO HIS NOT BEING COMFORTABLE WITH THE LANDING AND BEING PRETTY FAR DOWN THE RUNWAY, HE INITIATED A GO AROUND FROM THE BOUNCE. HE STATED THAT HE PLACED HIS THUMB ON THE ELEVATOR TRIM SWITCH IN ORDER TO TRIM THE NOSE DOWN, AND ADDED FULL THROTTLE. THE AIRCRAFT PITCHED NOSE UP.

THE PILOT STATED THAT HE STARTED TO PUSH THE YOKE FORWARD ATTEMPTING TO LOWER THE NOSE, BUT THAT HE HESITATED DUE TO THE PROXIMITY TO THE GROUND. HE ADDITIONALLY STATED THAT HE RAISED THE FLAP SWITCH TO RETRACT THE FLAPS, ADDING THAT IN HINDSIGHT THEY SHOULDN?T BE RAISED UNTIL HE ESTABLISHED THE AIRCRAFT?S PROPER ATTITUDE. HE STATED THAT HE ATTEMPTED TO RAISE THE RIGHT WING BY APPLYING LEFT AILERON, HOWEVER THE CONTROLS WERE INEFFECTIVE.

THE ELEVATOR TRIM TAB WAS BENT DOWN APPROXIMATELY 30 DEGREES, WITH THE TAB HORN SHEARED. INSPECTION OF THE ELEVATOR TRIM TAB JACK SCREW FOUND IT TO BE POSITIONED APPROXIMATELY TWO FULL TURNS FROM FULLY RETRACTED. INSPECTION OF THE ELEVATOR TRIM CONTROL CABLES FOUND THEM STILL UNDER TENSION. THE AFT SET OF STOP BLOCKS WERE APPROXIMATELY ONE AND ONE HALF INCH APART.

NTSB investigation

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