Cessna 180K N8884 accident near Mt. Hood, Oregon

Probable cause

The total loss of engine power while in cruise flight for reasons that could not be determined based on available evidence. Contributing to the accident was the presentation of an abandoned airport as available for use in the Federal Aviation Administration airports database.

NTSB analysis

The pilot had made two flights on the day of the accident. The first flight was 1.2 hours in duration and the pilot did not report any anomalies on that flight. According to the engine data monitor (EDM), about 30 minutes into the second flight, the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot used his personal electronic device to access an aviation navigation application that included Federal Aviation Administration-approved charts; he used this information as a guide to divert to the nearest airport only to discover upon arrival that the airport had been abandoned and a barn had been erected on the approach end of runway 34. The pilot believed that he had sufficient altitude to change the landing direction, but the airplane collided with a tree and terrain while on the base leg, about 100 ft north of the airport. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and aileron.

The pilot reported that he started the day with 42 gallons of fuel on board. The EDM reported 18.3 gallons left in the tanks at the time of the accident. Fuel was found in both tanks when the airplane was recovered. Fuel was also found in the carburetor bowl. The finger screens of both wings were unobstructed. It is likely that fuel exhaustion was not causal to this accident.

Examination of the airframe revealed multiple bends in the fuel line from the gascolator to the carburetor; however, the fuel lines were secured with clamps and exhibited no signs of kinks, collapse or leaks. The airplane had been flown at least 41 hours with the fuel lines in the present configuration without any loss of power issues, making it unlikely that the bends in the lines resulted in fuel starvation. Further examination of the airframe and engine revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Environmental conditions reported near the accident site about the time of the accident were conducive to light carburetor icing during cruise and descent power; however, carburetor icing was likely not causal, as the pilot reported the engine lost total power without coughing or sputtering.

Following the accident, the engine was test run and operated normally for 10 minutes, from idle to maximum speed, using a supplemental fuel supply and the airplane’s throttle, mixture, and propeller controls.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR21LA292 for the full record.