Cessna 182P N52790

Summary

On 30 March 2010 at about 22:30 local time, a Cessna 182P registered N52790, operated by Montgomery County Department of Transportation, was involved in an accident near Frederick, Maryland, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

30 March 2010 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Frederick, Maryland, United States

Coordinates

39.3661, -77.3931

Aircraft

Cessna 182P

Registration

N52790

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Montgomery County Department of Transportation

Operating rule

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Gaithersburg → Gaithersburg

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA10TA197

2 people had minor injuries.

A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons following a reported severe turbulence encounter.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During an aerial observation flight with a gusting wind and an adequate supply of fuel on-board, the pilot reported that the engine suddenly lost power after encountering a downdraft. Attempts to restore engine power were unsuccessful and the pilot maneuvered the airplane for a forced landing on wet grass near a monument. After touchdown, with excess speed to account for the gusting wind, the airplane bounced several times. During the landing roll, and with no braking action due to the wet grass, the pilot was unable to stop the airplane, which then collided with a culvert and nosed over. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical failure or malfunction. While the mixture control at the carburetor was in the idle cut-off position, impact damage to the engine mount likely pulled the control to that position. While a detailed inspection of the magnetos revealed that the primary contact point gap was considerably less than specified, the investigation was unable to determine that this caused the loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.