Cessna 185C N391M

Summary

On 20 June 2007 at about 15:30 local time, a Cessna 185C registered N391M was involved in an accident near Kalispell, Montana, 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

20 June 2007 at 15:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Kalispell, Montana, United States

Coordinates

48.1786, -114.3036

Aircraft

Cessna 185C

Registration

N391M

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Public Use

Purpose of flight

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kalispell → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA07TA174

Nobody was injured.

The complete loss of engine power during an attempted go-around from a simulated engine-out landing. Factors include rough/uneven terrain and high vegetation where the pilot made an emergency forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was practicing a simulated engine-out approach to an 1,800-foot-private grass airstrip, with the intention of executing a go-around once he reached 100 feet above ground level (agl). During the approach, the pilot maintained a manifold pressure of about 12 inches, so that the engine would still be producing a small amount of power, and the throttle would not be completely closed. When the airplane reached a height of about 100 feet above the ground, the pilot moved the throttle partially forward in order to execute a go-around, but the engine rpm did not increase. The pilot then pushed the throttle full forward, but the propeller continued to only windmill. By the time the pilot determined that the engine had lost all power, it was too late to put the airplane down on the grass strip. The pilot therefore elected to make an emergency landing in a field past the departure end of the grass strip. The field where the airplane touched down was rough and uneven, and covered with high vegetation. About 15 feet beyond where the main landing gear came in contact with the terrain, the structure inside the right main landing gear attachment box failed, and the right main landing gear leg collapsed. When the right main gear leg collapsed, the right wing came in contact with the terrain. During a post-accident inspection of the airplane and engine, no anomalies could be found that would have lead to a loss of power. After the inspection, the Continental Motors IO-0470-F engine was started and run without any malfunction detected.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.