Cessna 182F N3209U

Summary

On 24 February 2021 at about 22:00 local time, a Cessna 182F registered N3209U was involved in an accident near Millville, Iowa, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

24 February 2021 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Millville, Iowa, United States

Coordinates

42.7000, -91.0743

Aircraft

Cessna 182F

Registration

N3209U

Category

Airplane

Year built

1963

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cassville → Dubuque

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN21LA138

2 people had minor injuries.

The inadequate maintenance/inspection of the airplane, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to oil starvation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that, during climb from the departure airport, the engine made a loud growling noise, lost power, and began producing smoke. The pilot then performed a forced landing on a road, during which the airplane nosed over and impacted terrain. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed a hole in the crankcase and a failure of two cylinders consistent with oil starvation. The majority of oil residue was located below and aft of the oil breather tube, which was to alleviate normal crankcase pressures. The crankcase nose seal exhibited an oil leak that would have also allowed ram air pressure to pressurize the crankcase above normal pressures and force engine oil out through the oil breather tube resulting in oil starvation/exhaustion. Oil leakage from the crankcase breather tube would have been progressive and not instantaneous. The oil leakage from the crankcase nose seal and breather tube should have been identified by those performing maintenance and/or preflight inspections of the airplane after seeing decreased oil levels, oil residue external to the engine, and seepage from the crankcase nose seal.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.