Cessna 182F N3377U accident near Boulder, Utah

Probable cause

A partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined due to the available evidence.

NTSB analysis

Following a cross-country flight, the pilot was circling in the area of the destination airport when he noticed an excessively high exhaust gas temperature (EGT) indication. He enrichened the fuel/air mixture to full rich and leveled the airplane in an attempt to "cool down" the engine, then noted that the airplane would not maintain altitude and that engine power was decreasing. The pilot performed a forced landing to a field, during which the airplane impacted two ditches, resulting in substantial damage.

Examination of the airframe and the engine failed to reveal any mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation and the reason for the decreased engine power could not be determined. The calculated density altitude at the time of the accident was 8,814 ft.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR18LA136 for the full record.