Cessna TR182 N738GK

Summary

On 5 September 2016 at about 20:30 local time, a Cessna TR182 registered N738GK, operated by West Air Aviation, was involved in an accident near South Lake Tahoe, 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

5 September 2016 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

South Lake Tahoe, California, United States

Nearest airport

Lake Tahoe (TVL)

Coordinates

38.8986, -119.9939

Aircraft

Cessna TR182

Registration

N738GK

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

1

Operator

West Air Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bishop → South Lake Tahoe

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA16CA465

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during an attempted go-around, which resulted in a runway excursion and a nose over. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to remove the carburetor heat during the attempted go-around in high density altitude conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that during landing the airplane floated half way down the runway, so she decided to perform a go-around. During the go-around, the pilot reported that airplane would not climb initially and one wheel touched down on the runway, which "threw the airplane off kilter." Subsequently, the airplane did start to climb, but the flight path was over the grass to the right of the runway, so she forced the airplane down in the grass ahead. During the touchdown, the nose gear collapsed and the airplane nosed over. During a postaccident interview with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge, the pilot reported that during the go-around, she retracted the flaps to 20 degrees, but she forgot to remove the carburetor heat because she normally flies fuel-injected airplanes. The fuselage, both wings, and vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot's operating handbook for the accident airplane states in part: Balked Landing     1. Power – FULL THROTTLE and 2400 RPM [revolutions per minute].     2. Carburetor Heat – COLD.     3. Wing Flaps – RETRACT to 20 degrees.     4. Climb Speed – 75 KIAS [knots indicated airspeed].     5. Wing Flaps – RETRACT slowly after reach 75 KIAS.     6. Cowl Flaps – OPEN. About the time of the accident, at the accident airport, an automated weather observing system reported the wind to be variable at 6 knots, a temperature of 66 degrees Fahrenheit(19 Celsius), and a dew point of 26 degrees Fahrenheit (-3 Celsius). The airport's elevation was 6,268 feet above mean sea level (MSL) and the density altitude was 8,108 feet above MSL.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.