Cessna 205 N8495Z

Summary

On 4 October 2018 at about 23:30 local time, a Cessna 205 registered N8495Z was involved in an accident near Wagoner, Oklahoma, 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

4 October 2018 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Wagoner, Oklahoma, United States

Nearest airport

Hefner-Easley (H68)

Coordinates

35.9656, -95.3419

Aircraft

Cessna 205

Registration

N8495Z

Category

Airplane

Year built

1963

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Wagoner → Wagoner

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA19LA006

1 person had minor injuries.

Maintenance personnel’s improper maintenance of the magnetos, which resulted in a loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a post maintenance flight after the airplane's annual inspection, the pilot made about three circuits around the airport area before departing to continue flight maneuvers and performance checks. He started a left turn and then noticed a “very minor engine mis[fire]." As the pilot continued the turn, the "engine mis[fire]" began to increase and the engine began to shake. The airplane was unable to maintain altitude and was descending about 150-300 ft per minute. Although the pilot made multiple attempts to regain engine power, the engine lost total power. The airplane impacted trees and brush; during the landing sequence, the left and right wings buckled. Following the accident, an engine run was performed; after running for 13 minutes, the engine lost power. Troubleshooting of the magnetos found that the right magneto was firing erratically. The right magneto was replaced with a known-good magneto and the engine was subsequently successfully test run at full power. More detailed testing of both magnetos revealed that they failed the manufacturer’s acceptance test procedures due to excessive point gaps and secondary coil resistance. A review of the engine logbooks revealed the magneto points and condensers were replaced about 18 years and about 230 flight hours before the accident flight. Given the available information, it is likely that maintenance personnel did not perform proper maintenance of the magnetos.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.