- Date
- September 9, 1988, 19:29 local (Sep 10, 1988, 02:29 UTC)
- Place
- Crescent City, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4834PCessna 182M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report January 16, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880909038529A
- Case key
- 26101
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
Failure of the number 2 piston due to preexisting fatigue cracks in the piston.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot reported that during flight, the engine started to miss and then began backfiring. He 'cut' the power back to prevent the airplane from 'shaking apart' & tried to glided the airplane to an airport, but was unable. Subsequently, the airplane was damaged during an emergency landing of rough terrain. Post accident investigation & teardown of the engine revealed the #2 piston had failed. A metallurgical exam of the piston revealed preexisting fatigue cracks.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4834P
- Reported as
- Cessna 182M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18259867
- Airframe hours
- 2,750
- Engine
- Continental O-470-R, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Edward H. Pierce
- Registered owner
- Pierre, Edward H
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 1988 · 78 hours before
- Departed
- SCK · Stockton, CA
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
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,400 total · 500 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 290° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.