- Date
- June 22, 1991, 09:45 local (15:45 UTC)
- Place
- Challis, ID
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4700UCessna 180G
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910622023369A
- Case key
- 41457
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
That the pilot encountered unsuitable terrain during a forced landing after a power loss due to a fractured cylinder boss and a bent engine pushrod.
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 Cessna 180 was in cruise flight a few minutes after departure when the engine began running rough and lost power. The pilot was unable to return to a safe landing site, so elected to attempt a forced landing near a river. An engine teardown revealed that the exhaust valve rocker shaft boss on one cylinder had failed and the broken piece migrated under the intake rocker shaft, where it caused the valve push rod to bend.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4700U
- Reported as
- Cessna 180G
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18051400
- Engine
- Continental O-470R, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Maxl Willis
- Registered owner
- Maxl Willis
- Departed
- Flying B Ranch, ID
- Destination
- Camas Creek, ID
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
- 46
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Flight hours
- 3,570 total · 201 in this make and model · 3,070 as pilot in command · 56 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Temperature
- -0 °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.
Other investigations on N4700U · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.