Cessna TR182 N756CS

Summary

On 27 July 2002 at about 16:30 local time, a Cessna TR182 registered N756CS was involved in an accident near Copemish, Michigan, United States. 3 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 July 2002 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Copemish, Michigan, United States

Coordinates

44.4617, -85.8381

Aircraft

Cessna TR182

Registration

N756CS

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ludington → Traverse City

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI02LA218

2 people were seriously injured.

The in-flight engine and cabin fire caused by a fatigue fracture of the left exhaust stack assembly. An additional cause was the part's inadequate design by the aftermarket part manufacturer. A factor to the accident was the soft field in which the emergency landing was made.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was destroyed during an on-ground fire following an emergency descent/landing due to an in-flight fire. The pilot reported that he smelled smoke followed by the cabin filling with heavy black smoke. The pilot stated flames began to enter the cockpit as he maneuvered the airplane for a landing in an agricultural field. The airplane nosed over during the landing. The left exhaust stack assembly contained a fatigue fracture adjacent to the main collector welded joint. The fracture was in both the heat affected zone and parent material. The fracture initiated in multiple locations on the outside surface of the tube and progressed through a fatigue mechanism. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed that both the weld and tube material met design specifications. The weld profile contained no apparent flaws. The left exhaust stack assembly had accumulated approximately 100 hours since new. The design of the Cessna supplied left exhaust stack assembly differs from the comparable Knisley PMA assembly. The Cessna assembly has a two-piece main collector. The two halves are stamped-out and joined together with a seam weld. The weight of the turbocharger assembly is supported in part by the left exhaust stack assembly. The Knisley main collector is manufactured by welding several tube sections together. Knisley issued a mandatory service bulletin that called for the removal of their left exhaust stack assembly and its replacement with the current Cessna assembly or FAA approved equivalent. The service bulletin states that the replacement was instituted because the Knisely assembly was not designed to carry the load of the turbocharger and compressor.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.