Cessna 175B N8115T

Summary

On 2 April 2016 at about 22:07 local time, a Cessna 175B registered N8115T was involved in an accident near Hurley, Mississippi, 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

2 April 2016 at 22:07

Classification

Accident

Location

Hurley, Mississippi, United States

Coordinates

30.6753, -88.4306

Aircraft

Cessna 175B

Registration

N8115T

Category

Airplane

Year built

1960

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mobile → Slidell

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA16LA145

Nobody was injured.

The mechanic's failure to identify and remove a plastic sheath covering a portion of the mixture control cable during an annual inspection, which prevented the proper securing of the mixture control cable and full travel of the control at the carburetor and subsequently led to the pilot's inability to properly control the mixture control lever at the carburetor and the resultant partial loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was flying the airplane on a cross-country flight, which was the first flight after the completion of an annual inspection. The pilot reported that he noted no anomalies during the preflight inspection or engine run-up. After takeoff, the airplane proceeded toward the destination airport between 1,200 and 1,500 ft mean sea level. After levelling off, the pilot slowly leaned the fuel-to-air ratio. The pilot added that, subsequently, the engine rpm "abruptly" decreased from 2,900 to 1,200. The pilot promptly pushed the mixture control to full rich, but this did not restore power. He then twice advanced the throttle, which briefly increased the engine power before it reduced to idle power again. He informed an air traffic controller of the problem, and the controller then provided the pilot with radar vectors to a nearby airport. However, after realizing the airplane would be unable to reach the airport, the pilot chose to execute a forced landing in a field, during which the nose landing gear separated from the airplane. Examination of the engine compartment revealed that the mixture control in the cockpit was in the "full rich" position but that the mixture control lever at the carburetor was at the "idle cutoff" position. Movement of the mixture control in the cockpit resulted in the cable flexing rather than completely moving the mixture control lever at the carburetor, which was due to a plastic sheath that was covering a portion of the mixture control cable; the sheath prevented the cable from being properly secured and also prevented the full movement of the mixture control lever at the carburetor. The plastic sheath was not a part specified in the airplane's parts catalog. During engine test-runs, the engine operated satisfactorily when the mixture control lever at the carburetor was in the "full-rich" position. Given that no other issues were identified during the postaccident test-run, it is likely that the plastic sheath's preventing the proper securing of the mixture control cable and full travel of the control at the carburetor led to the pilot's inability to properly control the mixture control lever at the carburetor and the subsequent partial loss of engine power. Although the mechanic who performed the last inspection indicated that he checked the mixture control for full travel and noted no discrepancies with the mixture control cable, he failed to detect the plastic sheath covering a portion of the mixture control cable, which prevented adequate securing of the cable.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.