Cessna 182F N3420U

Summary

On 27 February 2011 at about 19:06 local time, a Cessna 182F registered N3420U was involved in an accident near Auburn, Alabama, United States. 5 people were on board. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 February 2011 at 19:06

Classification

Accident

Location

Auburn, Alabama, United States

Coordinates

32.5739, -85.6528

Aircraft

Cessna 182F

Registration

N3420U

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tuskegee → Tuskegee

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA11LA167

Injuries not recorded.

A loss of engine power due to an internal failure of the muffler that was not detected by maintenance personnel.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was approximately 2,700 feet above ground level when the engine stopped producing full power and the airplane began to lose altitude. The pilot elected to land on a road and the airplane subsequently impacted an automobile. No preimpact mechanical anomalies of the engine were noted; however, examination of the muffler assembly revealed that the right internal baffle cone had separated from the surrounding structure. It was possible for the separated baffle cone to partially block the exhaust exit; however, its position as found would not have resulted in a loss of engine power. The airplane had been operated for about 2 hours since its most recent annual inspection, which was performed about 5 months prior to the accident. Due to the amount of damage observed to the fracture surfaces of the baffle cone, it was likely that the fracture occurred prior to the annual inspection. Inspection guidance used by the maintenance facility that performed the annual inspection included an inspection of the muffler, heat exchange, and baffles.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.