Wirestrike Accident Cessna 185E N70233,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 177724
 
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Date:Tuesday 25 May 2004
Time:18:15
Type:Silhouette image of generic C185 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Cessna 185E
Owner/operator:Private
Registration: N70233
MSN: 18502075
Year of manufacture:1972
Total airframe hrs:2296 hours
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:Anchorage, AK -   United States of America
Phase: Take off
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Anchorage, AK (MRI)
Destination airport:
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
The private pilot/owner and pilot-rated passenger were departing an airport in an amphibian-float equipped airplane for the pilot's first flight in the newly-purchased airplane. The pilot reported that during the takeoff and initial climb, the engine appeared to be producing full power, but that the airplane would not climb above 400 feet above the ground. The pilot was unable to maintain altitude, and he headed for a city street for an emergency landing. The airplane subsequently collided with a power line and an unoccupied residence, and came to rest inverted in the residence's driveway. Subsequent inspection of the airplane's fuel system disclosed significant contamination and resultant partial blockage of the fuel injection fuel controller screen, partial blockage of the fuel injection distributor screen, and rust and water in the fuel injector manifold and engine-driven fuel pump. Prior to an engine test run, the above items were cleaned, and a pair of excessively worn spark plugs replaced. The engine subsequently started and ran at various power settings, including a maximum of 2,500 rpm with a club test propeller, without any observed mechanical anomalies. The airplane's annual inspection was due six days after the accident flight, and the pilot/owner indicated that he had wanted to have the inspection accomplished prior to the accident flight, but that the aviation maintenance shop could not schedule it in time. The pilot noted that a prepurchase inspection of the airplane was not performed. A review of the maintenance logs disclosed that the airplane had accrued about 58 service hours in the previous 2.5 years. Federal Air Regulation section 91.7 states that the pilot in command is the person responsible for determining that the aircraft is in an airworthy condition prior to operation.
Probable Cause: The pilot/owner's failure to ensure that the airplane was in an airworthy condition prior to flight, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power and subsequent in-flight collision with a residence during an emergency landing after takeoff. Factors associated with the accident are a contaminated fuel pump, a flow-restricted fuel controller, a flow-restricted distributor valve, worn spark plugs, and inadequate servicing/maintenance of the airplane by other maintenance personnel.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: ANC04LA057
Status: Investigation completed
Duration:
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20040528X00688&key=1

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
11-Jul-2015 17:24 Noro Added
21-Dec-2016 19:30 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency]
07-Dec-2017 18:02 ASN Update Bot Updated [Other fatalities, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]

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