- Date
- July 27, 2021, 08:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- Patterson, LA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N148LPCessna 182
- Defining event
- Enroute: Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 3
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO`
- FAA report
- 20210727012029A
- Case key
- 103645
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The mechanic’s failure to properly secure the throttle arm rendering it loose and inoperable after takeoff, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
According to the pilot, shortly after takeoff, the engine would not respond to throttle inputs. The engine then went to idle without pilot input, and the pilot performed a forced landing to a marsh. During the forced landing, the airplane nosed over and was substantially damaged. Postaccident examination of the airplane found that the nut used to properly secure the throttle control to the fuel servo was loose. The associated cotter pin was not located. The pilot reported that the airplane’s most recent maintenance occurred on April 1, 2021. The mechanic likely did not install the cotter pin at that time. The accident airplane flew about 438 hours between that date and the accident date. During that time, the nut likely loosened until the throttle control was no longer secured, resulting in a total loss of engine power during the accident flight.
Factual narrative
On July 27, 2021, about 0830 central daylight time, a Cessna 182T airplane, N148LP, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Patterson, Louisiana. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a business flight. The pilot reported that, shortly after departing, he leveled the airplane at an altitude of 2,000 ft and pulled back the throttle, but the engine did not respond. The engine rpm began to reach maximum speed as the pilot turned the airplane toward the departure airport. The engine then went to idle, and the pilot was unable to restore engine power, so he performed a forced landing to a marsh. During the landing, the airplane nosed over, and the forward fuselage sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the airplane found that the nut used to secure the throttle on the throttle arm was loose. The associated cotter pin, which holds the nut in place, was not located in the engine compartment. The pilot reported that the airplane’s most recent maintenance occurred on April 1, 2021, and that the airplane flew about 438 hours between that date and the accident date.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N148LP
- Reported as
- Cessna 182 (T)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18281148
- Built
- 2002
- Airframe hours
- 5,476.6
- Engine
- Continental IO-540-AB1A5, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Westbank Fishing LLC
- Registered owner
- Westbank Fishing LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 2021 · 437.6 hours before
- Departed
- KPTN · Patterson, LA
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- PTN
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, Electronic multifunction display, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Satellite tracking device, Onboard weather
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 57
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 9, 2021
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 19,834 total · 5,000 in this make and model · 19,523 as pilot in command · 440 in the last 90 days · 8.2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 79 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KPTN, 3 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 8, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.8 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.