Cessna 182P N430ML

Summary

On 15 March 2011 at about 17:30 local time, a Cessna 182P registered N430ML, operated by Armstrong Equipment Leasing Co, was involved in an accident near Alachua, Florida, United States. One person was 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

15 March 2011 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Alachua, Florida, United States

Coordinates

29.9047, -82.5150

Aircraft

Cessna 182P

Registration

N430ML

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Armstrong Equipment Leasing Co

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Leesburg → Lake City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA11LA190

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power due to the failure of the camshaft gear teeth and crankshaft gear teeth for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While the pilot was maneuvering the airplane to set up a visual approach, the engine lost partial power. The pilot attempted to restore full engine power but was unsuccessful. Subsequently, he made a forced landing in a field, and the airplane nosed over. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed that it would only partially rotate by hand with resistance. Further examination revealed that the camshaft gear was missing nine teeth and that one tooth was damaged. The crankshaft gear was missing four consecutive teeth, and one tooth was missing from another location on the gear. A metallurgical evaluation of the camshaft gear, crankshaft gear, an exhaust valve, and a lifter revealed that the components met all the material properties requirements. The fracture surfaces on the camshaft and crankshaft gears were damaged due to post-separation contact. Debris from the oil sump was identified as nitrided gear material and lifter fragments. The engine had accumulated about 12 hours of operating time since its most recent inspection, which included an oil change. At the time of the accident, the engine had accumulated a total time of 750.7 hours. According to the owner and the engine maintenance log, no propeller strikes had occurred since the engine was installed on the airframe.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.