Event CEN15LA319

Factual narrative

On July 22, 2015, about 0800 mountain daylight standard time, a Cessna 182E airplane, N3344Y, lost engine power shortly after departing the Kissack/Reynolds Airport (22WY), Rozet, Wyoming. The private rated pilot was not injured and the airplane was substantially damaged during the forced landing. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. The flight was originating from 22WY at the time of the accident. The pilot reported that he did a normal preflight of the airplane, and the airplane had 52 gallons of fuel on board. Shortly after departure and after reaching 1,000 feet above ground level, he started to make a turn. During the turn, the engine lost power, and the pilot established a glide as he continued his turn back to 22WY. About a quarter mile from runway 16 (2,200 feet long by 30 feet wide), he performed a slip to lose altitude. He then lowered full flaps and landed about half way down the runway; however, the landing roll continued past the runway end, and the airplane impacted a drainage ditch. The airplane was recovered and an engine examination/run conducted by the NTSB. A visual examination of the engine did not reveal any apparent reason for the loss of power. The engine was started and test run for several minutes; however, the propeller, which was damaged in the accident, would not allow a high/full power run. At the low power settings, no abnormalities were noted with the engine during the test run. The airplane was equipped with a digital engine monitor which was downloaded. A review of the data for the accident flight revealed that the system was powered on, at 0745. The exhaust gas and cylinder head temperatures (EGT/CHT), on all six cylinders, appeared consistent with normal operation. At 0801, the EGT/CHT on all six cylinders, showed a sharp decrease consistent with a loss or a reduction in engine power. At 0753, the automated weather reported station located about 17 miles west of the accident site, recorded a temperature of 71 degrees F and a dew point of 54 degrees F. A review of the carburetor icing probability chart, indicated that the airplane was operating in an area that was associated with a risk of carburetor ice at glide power setting. The pilot reported that, before departure, he conducted a normal preflight and that the airplane had 52 gallons of fuel on board. Shortly after takeoff and reaching 1,000 ft above ground level, the pilot started to turn the airplane, and the engine then lost power. The pilot continued the turn toward the airport and conducted a forced landing. The airplane landed about halfway down the runway, continued off the runway end, and impacted a ditch. A visual examination of the engine did not reveal any abnormalities. During an engine test run conducted at low-power settings, no abnormalities were noted. Due to damage to the propeller, a high/full power test run could not be conducted. A review of the accident flight data recorded by the engine data monitor revealed that the exhaust gas temperature (EGT) and cylinder head temperature (CHT) on all six cylinders initially appeared consistent with normal operation. However, shortly after takeoff, the EGT and CHT on all six cylinders sharply decreased, consistent with a loss of, or a reduction in, engine power. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the accumulation of carburetor ice at glide power settings; however, the airplane was operating at a higher power setting at the time of the power loss. The reason for the loss of power could not be determined. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Not determined-Not determined-(general)-(general)-Unknown/Not determined - C
• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-Conducive to carburetor icing-Not specified