Cessna 182H N2062X

Summary

On 9 July 2013 at about 06:20 local time, a Cessna 182H registered N2062X was involved in an accident near Hesperia, California, United States. 2 people were 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

9 July 2013 at 06:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Hesperia, California, United States

Coordinates

34.3886, -117.3086

Aircraft

Cessna 182H

Registration

N2062X

Category

Airplane

Year built

1965

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Apple Valley → French Valley

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

WPR13LA317

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power during cruise flight due to the detachment of the mixture control cable from its mounting clamp.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, shortly after leveling the airplane for cruise during the night flight, he adjusted the fuel mixture control, and the engine lost all power. He performed troubleshooting procedures and discovered that by cycling the throttle forward and aft the engine would produce intermittent bursts of partial power. He subsequently landed the airplane on a road short of a runway and then the airplane slid along the shoulder and down an embankment, which resulted in substantial damage to both wings and the lower cabin structure. Postaccident examination revealed that the outer sheath of the fuel mixture control cable had become detached from its clamp on the carburetor body and that the cable's sheath exhibited signatures consistent with movement. As a result, movement of the mixture control within the cabin resulted in unpredictable movement of the mixture control arm. When the pilot adjusted the mixture just before the loss of engine power, the detached cable likely allowed the mixture to become excessively lean. According to maintenance records, maintenance personnel tightened the clamp during the last annual inspection; however, it could not be determined if maintenance personnel improperly tightened the clamp during the inspection. No other mechanical anomalies were noted that would have precluded normal operation. Data extracted from the airplane's engine monitor indicated that the pilot's continued throttle control movements following the power loss would have activated the carburetor's accelerator pump, which resulted in sufficient quantities of fuel being delivered to the engine to produce partial power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.