Cessna 182A N5099D

Summary

On 1 May 2004 at about 22:30 local time, a Cessna 182A registered N5099D, operated by Emerald Coast Skydiving Center, INC, was involved in an accident near Elberta, Alabama, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 May 2004 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Elberta, Alabama, United States

Nearest airport

Horak (7AL9)

Coordinates

30.4686, -87.5414

Aircraft

Cessna 182A

Registration

N5099D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Emerald Coast Skydiving Center, INC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Elberta → Elberta

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL04LA105

1 person had minor injuries.

The loss of engine power due to a foreign substance blockage of the fuel line which resulted in fuel starvation, and the pilot's failure to maintain terrain clearance during an aborted landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, after the four parachute jumpers exited the airplane, and as he maneuvered the airplane for a landing, the engine lost power. Initial efforts by the pilot to restore full power were unsuccessful, however as the pilot continued, the engine regained partial power. The pilot entered a straight approach for runway 18, While on short final to land on runway 18, the pilot thought he was too high and to fast to land and he initiated a go around. During the go around, the airplane lost engine power. The pilot elected to land on another part of the same field. The aircraft touched down approximately 840 feet west of the approach end of runway 36 on a heading of 270 degrees, heading towards a paved road, power lines and a tree line. The pilot stated that after touchdown, the airplane engine began to develop power. The pilot decided to abort the landing to avoid hitting the road and the trees. During the aborted landing, the airplane flew under the power lines, crossed the paved road but, the right main gear collided with the ground and the airplane nosed over approximately 220 feet west of Baldwin County Road in a wheat field. The pilot stated that he had "insufficient speed to continue take-off." Prior to the flight, the pilot reported that he refueled the airplane to a total of 25 gallons of fuel. Examination of airplane revealed the wings were bent at the outboard leading edge, damage to the right spar and main wheel strut, the propeller was bent rearward at both tips with curved signatures, the firewall was bent near bottom and the right gear was detached. Examination of the flight control system revealed no mechanical malfunctions. An engine test run was also performed. After removing the main fuel line from the firewall, a piece of foreign material was found. The main fuel line was shook and the foreign material escaped out the end of the line allowing fuel to flow freely. The foreign material was searched for in the belly of the airplane but was not found. The main fuel line was reassembled to the firewall and fuel selector valve and fuel to the engine was verified. The engine ran normal to 1800 rpm and a magneto check was performed with a 100 rpm drop noted.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.