Cessna U206F N82531

Summary

On 23 July 2010 at about 14:17 local time, a Cessna U206F registered N82531, operated by Jerry Freed, was involved in an accident near Ludington, Michigan, United States. 5 people were on board and 4 died, 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

23 July 2010 at 14:17

Classification

Accident

Location

Ludington, Michigan, United States

Coordinates

44.0017, -86.6636

Aircraft

Cessna U206F

Registration

N82531

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Jerry Freed

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Alma → Rochester

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN10FA465

4 people died.

The total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of accumulated debris in the fuel system from an undetermined source. Also causal was the inadequate annual maintenance inspection that did not include inspection of the firewall fuel strainer and the fuel inlet screen.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was crossing Lake Michigan at 10,000 feet above mean sea level when the engine lost power. He was near the mid-point (about 24 miles from the shoreline) of the lake with a 40-knot headwind, so he turned around to return to shore. He attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful. The pilot ditched the airplane about 5 miles from shore and it quickly sank. Postaccident inspection of the airplane revealed that the firewall fuel strainer gasket did not provide a complete seal between the fuel screen and the fuel strainer's upper body. A portion of the gasket was positioned over the exit port, which created a gap. This allowed debris in the fuel to migrate to the engine's fuel inlet filter screen in the fuel metering assembly. The inspection of the fuel inlet filter screen revealed that it was partially obstructed with debris. The orifice of the fuel inlet passage contained the same debris that obstructed the flow of fuel through the orifice to the fuel screen. The airplane had undergone an annual maintenance inspection about 7.5 hours prior to the accident. The mechanic, who had an inspection authorization, reported that he did not inspect the gasket on the firewall fuel strainer, nor did he remove and inspect the fuel inlet filter screen as required by the manufacturer's service manual. The debris was composed of materials similar to wood chips, sawdust, paint, varnish, cloth, glass fibers, metal shavings, sand, and soil. The source of the contaminants was not determined. The postaccident inspection revealed no other preexisting airframe anomalies. The engine was run on a test stand and the engine produced the rated horsepower. The airplane's owner's manual indicated that the glide distance for an airplane at 10,000 feet above the water's surface was 15 miles.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.