Cessna 182P N8158M

Summary

On 10 January 1998 at about 01:56 local time, a Cessna 182P registered N8158M was involved in an accident near Salinas, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 January 1998 at 01:56

Classification

Accident

Location

Salinas, California, United States

Nearest airport

Salinas Municipal (SNS)

Coordinates

36.6710, -121.6092

Aircraft

Cessna 182P

Registration

N8158M

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Carlos → Soledad

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX98FA068

1 person died.

A loss of engine power due to a missing valve keeper. Also causal was the failure by engine maintenance personnel during engine top overhaul to install the second valve keeper in the No. 3 cylinder exhaust valve and the failure of inspection personnel to detect the improper assembly.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a night-time flight in marginal VFR conditions, the pilot radioed approach control that his aircraft's engine had begun running rough, losing power, and he was having difficulty maintaining altitude. Approach control vectored the pilot 14 miles back to the airport where he had previously completed an instrument approach. The pilot reported the runway in sight, however, the aircraft crashed on final approach 2 miles from the runway. A witness reported hearing the aircraft's engine as it approached, followed by 5 seconds of silence, and then the sound of impact. An annual inspection was completed on the aircraft about 2 weeks before the accident and this was believed to be the owner's first flight after the inspection. During the inspection, the Nos. 1, 3, and 4 cylinders were removed from the engine and repaired. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that one of the two valve keepers had not been reinstalled on the No. 3 cylinder exhaust valve resulting in asymmetric loading of the remaining keeper. When that keeper fractured, the exhaust valve was released and entered the combustion chamber of the No. 3 cylinder where it contacted the piston. The consequential damage fractured the Nos. 3 and 4 pistons, the Nos. 3 and 4 connecting rods, and the crankcase.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.