Cessna A185F N93291 accident near Angleton, Texas

Probable cause

The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. Contributing to the accident was the lack of suitable terrain for the pilot to execute the forced landing.

NTSB analysis

The engine lost power when the pilot initiated a practice missed approach procedure during a flight intended to check on some of the features of a newly installed auto pilot system on the single-engine airplane. During the forced landing, the right wing collided with trees at the approach end of the selected forced landing area. The engine was run on the airframe after the airplane was recovered to a secure location. A review of the maintenance records revealed that the engine had accumulated a total of 194.6 hours since the last major overhaul. During the engine test run, the engine ran normally for about 7 minutes, then lost fuel pressure and stopped running. A detailed examination of the airframe and engine fuel system did not reveal any discrepancies or anomalies. The engine was run again at high power settings following the examination and did not stop. The reason of the loss of engine power could not be duplicated or determined.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN09LA024 for the full record.