Cessna 182S N146NE

Summary

On 21 July 2003 at about 18:45 local time, a Cessna 182S registered N146NE, operated by Michael L. Bartu, was involved in an accident near Henry's Lake, Idaho, 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

21 July 2003 at 18:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Henry's Lake, Idaho, United States

Coordinates

44.6486, -111.3581

Aircraft

Cessna 182S

Registration

N146NE

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Michael L. Bartu

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Henry's Lake → Pocatello

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA03LA146

Nobody was injured.

A set of inadequately torqued vacuum pump retaining nuts, leading to the failure of the vacuum pump gasket, resulting in oil exhaustion, which resulted in a loss of engine power during cruise. A ditch and rough uneven terrain were factors.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that about five minutes after takeoff, the oil low pressure light illuminated and shortly thereafter he heard a knocking sound coming from the engine. The pilot shut the engine down and attempted to return to the airport of departure. Unable to make it to the airport, a power-off landing was made to a rough open field about one mile from the runway. Although the touchdown was uneventful, during the landing roll, the aircraft encountered a ditch, which resulted in the separation of the nose gear and substantial damage to the aircraft structure. On site inspection of the aircraft indicated that oil residue was noted at the aft end of the engine around the accessory section. After the tail was lowered, a noticeable oil leak was noted around the vacuum pump flange (approximately 6 drops per minute). Further inspection of the engine found that the pneumatic pump gasket had failed and was blown out the top between the mating surfaces of the pump and the mounting pad. All four mounting nuts of the pump were found only slightly more than finger tight and were removed with no resistance. The internal star locking washers were in place under the nuts and had been crushed indicating proper torque at one time. Standard torque on these nuts is 90" pounds.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.