# NTSB CHI04LA001: Cessna 182A, N3772D, Shenandoah, IA, October 3, 2003 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: October 2, 2003, 21:00 local (Oct 3, 2003, 02:00 UTC) - Place: Shenandoah, IA - Coordinates: 40.751667, -95.413612 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.7517&lon=-95.4136&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious, 1 minor - Status: Completed, report June 2, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA - Des Moines FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 58105 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI04LA001 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/58105/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI04LA001 ## Probable cause Loss of engine power for an undetermined reason during cruise and the unsuitable terrain for landing encountered by the pilot. The factors to the accident were the dark night, the corn crop, and the ditch. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power, cruise - reason for occurrence undetermined - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, emergency descent/landing - unsuitable terrain or takeoff/landing/taxi area - encountered, pilot in command (cause) - light condition - dark night (contributing factor) - terrain condition - crop (contributing factor) - terrain condition - ditch (contributing factor) ## Analysis The airplane sustained substantial damage when it impacted a ditch during an emergency landing following a loss of engine power. The pilot reported that the engine "popped" twice and the airplane lost engine power. The pilot attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful. The pilot-rated passenger prepared for an emergency landing at the destination airport. They realized the airplane would land short of the airport and prepared to "ditch." The airplane touched down in a cornfield and subsequently impacted a ditch. An FAA inspector examined the airplane subsequent to the accident and found five gallons of fuel in the left tank. The fuel tank strainer and fittings were pulled from the right wing. The strainer was destroyed, but had no signs of blockage previous to the accident. No fuel was observed in the right tank or in the fuel inlet line of the carburetor. The airframe and engine were examined and no anomalies were found. ## Factual narrative On October 2, 2003, at 2100 central daylight time, a Cessna 182A, N3772D, piloted by a commercial pilot, sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Shenandoah Municipal Airport (SDA), Shenandoah, Iowa. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The commercial pilot reported minor injuries. The pilot-rated passenger reported serious injuries. The flight departed Coles County Memorial Airport (MTO), near Mattoon, Illinois, at 1820. According to the pilot's written statement, during cruise flight at 6,500 feet mean sea level, the engine "popped" twice and lost engine power. The pilot stated he tried to restart the engine several times. He reported he "went through the flow checks and restart procedures all the way until impact never admitting to ourselves that the engine was not going to restart." The pilot stated the pilot-rated passenger had SDA in sight and tried to make an emergency landing at the airport. The pilot reported they realized they "were not going to make the airport about a quarter mile out and prepared to ditch." The pilot reported they touched down in a cornfield and subsequently impacted a ditch. The pilot stated that the nose, nose gear, and right wing were separated from the airplane. The pilot also stated there was substantial damage to the cockpit, dash and windshield. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane subsequent to the accident. The inspector reported the right wing was separated from the aft attach point, but not completely detached from the airplane. Approximately five gallons of fuel was strained from the left tank. The fuel tank strainer and fittings were pulled from the right wing. The strainer was destroyed, but had no signs of blockage previous to the accident. No fuel was observed in the right tank or in the fuel inlet line of the carburetor. The fuel selector was on the left tank. The airframe and engine were examined and no preexisting anomalies were found. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N3772D](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N3772D-2018-05-11), registration cancelled 2018-05-11, S/N 34472, built 1957 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 182A - Registry model: [Cessna 182A](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-182a) (registry code 2072704) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental O-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (registry code 17026, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 34472 - Airframe hours: 3204 - Engines: Continental O-470L 230 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Other work use, Part 91 - Registered owner: Joe Stancil Jr. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: MTO, Mattoon, IL - Destination: LNK, Lincoln, NE - Airport: SDA, Shenandoah Municipal Airport ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 22; injuries: minor; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; last flight review May 12, 2002; seat: left; flight hours: 560 total, 80 in this make and model, 475 as pilot in command, 160 in the last 90 days, 65 in the last 30 days, 8 in the last 24 hours - Pilot; injuries: serious; flight instructor, commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: right; flight hours: 1,020 total, 35 in this make and model, 890 as pilot in command, 280 in the last 90 days, 20 in the last 30 days, 0 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night - Wind: 170° at 8 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 6,000 ft overcast - Temperature: 54 °F, dew point 41 °F - Altimeter: 30.09 inHg - Observed at: SDA ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20031002025569A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20031002025569A), Oct 2, 2003: Cessna 182A, Shenandoah, IA, Substantial damage. (-23) Engine quit during cruise flight and would not restart. Pilot attempted to land without power at sda and crashed in a roadside ditch adjacent to the… ## Other investigations on N3772D (1) 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. - [NTSB NYC66F0079](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC66F0079), Jun 18, 1965: Cessna 182 (N3772D), Woodbridge, VA, substantial damage 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.