Cessna R182 N4166C accident near Grand Canyon, Arizona

Probable cause

The airplane’s loss of engine power for undetermined reasons and the pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack and subsequent failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

NTSB analysis

The pilot was on a cross-country flight when, about an hour into the flight, he noticed that the fuel was only being drawn from the left tank. He decided to conduct a precautionary landing at an en route airport. During the approach, the engine was “acting up” and he decided to add full power to perform a go-around. The engine then lost power, the airplane stalled, and both wings and the empennage impacted the ground.

A postaccident examination of the airplane’s fuel system and engine did not reveal any preimpact mechanical anomalies or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Weather conditions were not conducive to the formation of carburetor ice. The cause of the inaccurate draining of the right wing fuel tank and the loss of power could not be determined.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR23LA162 for the full record.