- Date
- April 6, 1989, 12:05 local (17:05 UTC)
- Place
- Marshall, MN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7510KCessna 180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 2, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890406006529A
- Case key
- 34775
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 failure of an unapproved weld between the exhaust system and muffler. The failed weld resulted in the muffler separating and an in-flight fire.
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
Portion of the aircraft exhaust system separated resulting in an in-flight fire. The resultant engine failure necessitated a forced landing. Pilot attempted to land in a soft field. Aircraft flipped inverted and incurred substantial damage. Pilot was not injured. Examination of the engine exhaust system revealed an improper weld between the muffler and the exhaust. The weld failed and the muffler separated.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7510K
- Reported as
- Cessna 180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18052656
- Airframe hours
- 2,131
- Engine
- Continental O-470-S, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Fuchs, Gene Henry
- Registered owner
- Eucene H Fuchs
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 22, 1988 · 95 hours before
- Departed
- MML · Marshall, MN
- Airport
- MML
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
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,001 total · 1,929 in this make and model · 65 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N7510K · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.