# NTSB CEN18LA225: Rockwell International 112TC, N4954W, Cheyenne, WY, June 14, 2018 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 14, 2018, 14:45 local (20:45 UTC) - Place: Cheyenne, WY - Coordinates: 41.154445, -104.785003 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.1544&lon=-104.7850&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report November 6, 2019 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 97481 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN18LA225 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/97481/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=97481 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN18LA225 ## Probable cause A loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination did not reveal any evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Not determined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000): Not determined › Not determined · Unknown/Not determined (probable cause); cases with it: [All aircraft, 2,247 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute: Loss of engine power (partial)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342); cases with it: [All aircraft, 1,858 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342/sequence.md) - [Enroute: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) (defining event); cases with it: [All aircraft, 3,820 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md) - [Emergency descent: Off-field or emergency landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440); cases with it: [All aircraft, 3,365 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md) ## Analysis The airline transport pilot and his passenger departed on a short personal flight from an airpark to a local airport. The entire flight was conducted with the fuel selector valve selected to BOTH. During the flight, the engine rpm decreased and then increased several times before decreasing to idle. The pilot attempted to restore engine power but was not successful. The pilot performed a forced landing to a field, during which the airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. The pilot stated that each fuel tank contained about 1/4 tank of fuel based on the reading on the fuel gauges and his knowledge of the fuel burn and the previous day's flight. He did not have a calibrated fuel stick for the airplane to visually verify the level of fuel. A postaccident examination of the airframe, engine, and fuel system revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Thus, the reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined. ## Factual narrative On June 14, 2018, about 1445 mountain daylight time, a Rockwell International 112TC airplane, N4954W, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Cheyenne Regional Airport/Jerry Olson Field (KCYS), Cheyenne, Wyoming. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight plan was filed for the flight. The airplane departed Skyview Airpark (WY05), Cheyenne, Wyoming, and was en route to KCYS at the time of the accident. According to the written statement provided by the pilot, he preflighted the airplane and confirmed about ¼ tank of fuel for each wing fuel tank, using the indication on the fuel gauges and knowledge from fuel burn and the previous day's flight. He did not have a fuel stick calibrated for the airplane. No contamination was noted in the fuel sump samples. The engine started and ran during the engine runup without issues. The entire flight was conducted with the fuel selector valve selected to BOTH. About 5 miles from KCYS, the engine rpms dropped, and the pilot adjusted the mixture and throttle setting which resulted in an increase in engine power. About a minute later, the engine rpms decreased again, and the pilot went through the checklist to restore power and requested to land straight in at KCYS. The power increased for 10 seconds and then went to idle. During a forced landing to the field, just east of the approach end to runway 27, the outboard portion of the right wing impacted the ground and separated, and the empennage and fuselage were bent and wrinkled. Measurable fuel was documented in the left-wing fuel tank and trace fuel was documented in the fuel lines for the right-wing fuel tank. The right-wing fuel line was impact separated and the right-wing fuel tank was empty. An examination of the airframe, engine, and fuel system, conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board, revealed no preaccident mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operations. ## Aircraft - Registration: N4954W (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: Rockwell International 112TC - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 13084 - Year built: 1976 - Airframe hours: 2228.7 - Engines: Lycoming TO-360-C1A6D 210 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, June 7, 2018, 21 hours before - Departed: WY05, Cheyenne, WY - Destination: KCYS, Cheyenne, WY - Airport: KCYS, Cheyenne Regional Airport, runway 27, 9,270 × 150 ft - Equipment: Stall warning system ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 44; injuries: none; airline transport, flight instructor; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, with waivers/limitations; last flight review March 29, 2018; seat: left; restraint: 3-point; flight hours: 7,260 total, 6.5 in this make and model, 3,745 as pilot in command, 70 in the last 90 days, 26 in the last 30 days, 7 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 290° at 19 knots, gusting 25 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 84 °F, dew point 27 °F - Altimeter: 29.93 inHg - Observed at: KCYS, 1 nm away ## Docket (2 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 15, 2019, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=97481. 4.3 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 4.2 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40473592&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Master.PDF - Pilot Statement (item 2, .PDF, 175 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40473593&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%20Statement-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.