Cessna 182P N425Q

Summary

On 7 May 2002 at about 19:30 local time, a Cessna 182P registered N425Q, operated by Skydive Las Vegas, was involved in an accident near Boulder City, Nevada, United States. 5 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 May 2002 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Boulder City, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Boulder City Municipal (61B)

Coordinates

35.9475, -114.8611

Aircraft

Cessna 182P

Registration

N425Q

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Skydive Las Vegas

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Boulder City → Boulder City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX02LA152

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's failure to lean the mixture properly resulting in a partial loss of power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane initiated a forced landing after a partial loss of engine power during the takeoff initial climb. During the initial run-up the magneto check was not within acceptable limits; however, approximately 15 minutes later the pilot rechecked the magnetos and they were within acceptable limits. The pilot said he configured and checked the airplane prior to takeoff with 10 degrees of flaps and all gages "in the green." The pilot stated that he had leaned the engine during the taxi and takeoff. His procedure for leaning was to bring the mixture back until the engine began to run rough, and then turn the mixture control knob two times until the engine was running smoothly again. As the airplane climbed out, the engine was not developing enough power, and the pilot initiated a shallow turn toward the runway. The pilot verified that the throttle and propeller were forward and richened the mixture two turns; however, at that point the airplane lost all of its ability to climb. He executed a forced landing in the desert, shearing the nose gear and one of the main landing gear and bending the propeller blades. Passengers thought the engine sounded normal, but not like it was running at full rpm during the initial climb. A mechanic examined the airplane after the accident and found no discrepancies that would account for a loss of engine power. About 20 gallons of fuel was found in the fuel system, and fuel was in the fuel line to the engine. An aeronautical handbook states that operation with a lean mixture may result in a loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.