SEA07LA234

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 182P · Nampa, ID · August 14, 2007

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
August 14, 2007, 12:00 local (18:00 UTC)
Place
Nampa, ID
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Approach
Aircraft
N52581Cessna 182P
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report November 29, 2007
Report
Approved by Office Director
Parties
Boise FSDO
FAA report
20070814015109A
Case key
66438

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The total loss of engine power due to the carburetor throat becoming obstructed with paint that had pealed off of the induction air inlet channel in an area where paint should not have been applied. Factors include an earthen berm running across the field where the pilot made his forced landing.

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.

Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanicalApproach - vfr pattern - base turn
Fuel system,carburetor - obstructedCause
Maintenance - improperOther personCause
Forced landingDescent - emergency
On ground/water encounter with terrain/waterEmergency landing
Terrain condition - bermFactor

Analysis

After turning base, the pilot advanced the throttle, but the engine had suddenly lost all power. Because he could not reach the runway, the pilot landed in a flat open field off the approach end of the runway. Although the initial touchdown was uneventful, during the rollout, the aircraft encountered an earthen berm and sustained substantial damage. A post-accident inspection found that a significant portion of the carburetor throat was clogged with strips of paint that had come off of the induction air inlet channel aft of the air filter. It was determined that the aircraft had been repainted approximately four months prior to the accident, and an inspection of the air inlet channel revealed other large areas of partially pealed paint. According to the aircraft manufacturer, the surface of the inlet channel aft of the filter is not painted during the manufacturing process, and it should not be painted when new paint is applied to the airframe structure.

Factual narrative

On August 14, 2007, approximately 1200 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 182P, N52581, impacted the terrain during a power-off forced landing near the approach end of runway 11 at Nampa Municipal Airport, Nampa, Idaho. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured, but the aircraft, which is owned and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, which departed Kalispell, Montana, about three hours prior to the accident, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. The pilot had been on a Visual Flight Rules (VFR) flight plan. There was no report of an ELT activation.

According to the pilot, after turning base he advanced the throttle, but the engine had suddenly lost all power. Because he could not reach the runway, the pilot landed in a flat open field off the approach end of the runway. Although the initial touchdown was uneventful, during the rollout, the aircraft encountered an earthen berm and sustained substantial damage.

A post-accident inspection found that a significant portion of the carburetor throat was clogged with strips of paint that had pealed off of the induction air inlet channel aft of the air filter. It was determined that the aircraft had been repainted approximately four months prior to the accident, and an inspection of the air inlet channel revealed other large areas of partially pealed paint. According to the aircraft manufacturer, the surface of the inlet channel aft of the filter is not painted during the manufacturing process, and it should not be painted when new paint is applied to the airframe structure.

Aircraft

Registration
N52581
Reported as
Cessna 182P
Category
Airplane
Serial number
182-62687
Airframe hours
3,500
Engine
Continental O-470-S, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Registered owner
John and Barbara van der Neut
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · March 1, 2007 · 50 hours before
Departed
KGPI · Kalispell, ID
Destination
S67 · Nampa, ID
Flight plan
VFR
Airport
S67 · Nampa Municipal Airport

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
68
Injuries
Serious
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
Last flight review
February 1, 2007
Seat
Left
Flight hours
1,658 total · 1,049 in this make and model · 1,658 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
40° at 5 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
75 °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 N52581 · 2

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.