# NTSB DEN03LA150: Cessna 182A, N6384B, Pine Haven, WY, September 7, 2003 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: September 7, 2003, 14:00 local (20:00 UTC) - Place: Pine Haven, WY - Coordinates: 44.351665, -104.808334 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=44.3517&lon=-104.8083&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 30, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Casper FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 57897 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN03LA150 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/57897/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN03LA150 ## Probable cause The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. The lack of suitable terrain is a contributing factor. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(partial) - nonmechanical, approach - in-flight planning/decision - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - anti-ice/deice system - not verified, pilot in command (cause) - weather condition - carburetor icing conditions (contributing factor) - light condition - daylight (contributing factor) - Forced landing, approach - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - emergency - terrain condition - none suitable (contributing factor) ## Analysis According to the pilot, he completed an air drop of skydivers and was returning to land. During the final approach, he added power to maintain altitude and obstacle clearance, and the engine "quit without sputter[ing]." He made a forced landing in a sagebrush covered field. The airplane struck the ground, slid down a gully, and struck a tree. The impact separated the airplane's nose landing gear, displaced the engine and engine mount, and buckled the aft fuselage and firewall. The pilot stated that after pulling the airplane from the gully, he visually checked the fuel and identified that there were 10 gallons of fuel in each wing-tank. At the time of the accident, the temperature was 31 degrees C., and the dew point was 7 degrees C. ## Factual narrative On September 7, 2003, at 1400 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 182A, N6384B, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during a forced landing near Pine Haven, Wyoming. The airline transport pilot, the sole occupant on board, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan had been filed for this local flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at 1335 from a private airstrip near Pine Haven. According to the pilot, he completed an air drop of skydivers and was returning to land on runway 18. During the final approach, he added power to maintain altitude and obstacle clearance, and the engine "quit without sputter[ing]." He made a forced landing in a sagebrush covered field. The airplane struck the ground, slid down a gully, and nosed down as it struck a tree. The impact separated the airplane's nose landing gear, displaced the engine and engine mount, and buckled the aft fuselage and firewall. The pilot stated that after pulling the airplane from the gully, he visually checked the fuel and stated that there were 10 gallons of fuel in each wing tank. He also stated that he "did not know the cause of the engine failure." At 1355, the reported weather at Gillette-Campbell County Airport (GCC), Gillette, Wyoming (approximately 32 nautical miles west of the accident site, and at an elevation of 4,363 feel msl) was: wind, 230 degrees at 15 knots, gusting to 19 knots; visibility, 10 statute miles; sky condition, few at 10,000 feet; temperature, 31 degrees C.; dew point, 7 degrees C.; altimeter setting, 30.01. The calculated density altitude was 7,204 feet msl. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N6384B](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6384B-2012-10-09), registration cancelled 2012-10-09, S/N 34284, built 1956 (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: 34284 - Airframe hours: 4202 - Engines: Continental O470 235 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Other work use, Part 91 - Registered owner: Bob Suchor - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, October 30, 2002, 200 hours before - Departed: PVT, Pine Haven, WY - Destination: PVT, Pine Haven, WY - Airport: PVT, Keyhole ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 28; injuries: none; airline transport, flight instructor; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review October 22, 2002; seat: left; flight hours: 2,844 total, 39 in this make and model, 1,063 as pilot in command, 9 in the last 90 days, 9 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 230° at 15 knots, gusting 19 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 88 °F, dew point 45 °F - Altimeter: 30.01 inHg - Observed at: KGCC, 32 nm away ## 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 20030907022469A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030907022469A), Sep 7, 2003: Cessna 182A, Moorcroft, WY, Substantial damage. (-23) The pilot reports having dropped parachutists at 12,000 feet asl and then descended for landing. The engine stopped running when he attempted to add… 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.