Cessna 182L N3440R

Summary

On 3 February 1983 at about 19:00 local time, a Cessna 182L registered N3440R was involved in an accident near Weyers Cave, Virginia, United States. 4 people were on board and one died, 2 were seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

3 February 1983 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Weyers Cave, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Shenandoah Valley (SHD)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Cessna 182L

Registration

N3440R

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Roanoke

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL83FA095

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE ACFT CRASHED AFTER TAKEOFF WHEN THE ENGINE LOST POWER. THE ACFT HAD NOT BEEN FLOWN FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. AN INSTRUCTORWAS INVITED ON THE EXTENDED CROSS-COUNTRY TO HELP THE PILOT WHO ALSO HAD NOT FLOWN FOR SOME TIME. DURING THE PRE-FLIGHT A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF WATER WAS DRAINED FROM THE LEFT FUEL TANK. THE MECHANIC WHO HAD JUST RECENTLY COMPLETED AN ANNUAL INSPECTION ON THE ACFT WAS CALLED OVER TO HELP DRAIN THE WATER. THE MECHANIC DRAINED 15 GALLONS OF FUEL BEFORE THE FUEL WAS FREE OF WATER. THE LEFT TANK CAP ALSO WAS FOUND TO NEED A NEW SEAL AND WAS TAPED UNTIL THEY COULD GET A SEAL. THE ACFT HAD TO BE JUMP-STARTED. AFTER STARTING THEY DECIDED TO USE ALL 6000 FT OF RUNWAY 22 FOR TAKEOFF. DURING TAKEOFF THE ENGINE BEGAN TO CUT OUT WHEN IT REACHED AN ALTITUDE OF 100-200 FEET IN THE AIR, REGAINED POWER MOMENTARILY AND STOPPED. THE ACFT TURNED LEFT, LANDED ON A SLOPING FIELD AND CAREENED DOWN INTO A CREEK BED. THE ACFT CAME TO REST ON ITS SIDE HALF SUBMERGED. TWO OCCUPANTS WERE EJECTED. ONE OF THE TWO DROWNED IN THE CREEK.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.