Event CEN16LA275

Factual narrative

On July 19, 2016, about 1900 central daylight time, a Meyers 200B airplane, N229RS, conducted a forced landing to a field near Huron, South Dakota. The airline transport rated pilot was not injured and passenger received minor injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged during the landing. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a cross country flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. The pilot reported the cross-county flight had an en route stop at the Wendover Airport (KENV), Wendover, Utah, on July 17, 2016. During flight, he noted oil on the windscreen, so he stopped in Casper, Wyoming, for maintenance personnel to look at the airplane. The pilot reported that maintenance personnel identified several discrepancies; the crankshaft seal was leaking, the propeller bolts did not have enough threads showing through the crankshaft flange, the throttle linkage connecting the landing gear warning horn was loose, and the fuel distributor drain fitting did not have an overboard line. In addition, maintenance personnel also noted that a bolt holding the throttle cable bracket was loose. The bolt was worn and not safetied to the mixture control bolt. During postaccident interviews, the mechanic stated that, since the maintenance facility did not have an exact replacement bolt, he selected a bolt that did not have holes for a safety wire. He stated that he drilled a hole in the bolt head for the safety wire, and installed the bolt. The mechanic added that he installed the safety wire through the throttle bolt head, then down to the mixture control bolt. However, the maintenance facility did not subsequently charge the owner for this new bolt or for the work on the throttle cable. During the maintenance work, the airplane pilot/owner periodically inspected or observed work as noted by maintenance personnel and security camera footage provided by the maintenance facility. After the accident, the pilot provided the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector a photo of the fuel mixture cable and bolt. On July 19, 2016, after maintenance personnel completed work on the airplane, the pilot started the engine and completed an engine run-up. The pilot then took the airplane on a test flight around the traffic pattern, and after landing, the airplane was checked for leaks. The pilot and passenger then continued their flight, stopping for fuel about 1830 at the Huron Regional Airport, (KHON), Huron, South Dakota. After departing and reaching an altitude of 2,300 ft, the pilot reduced the throttle, and the engine lost power. The engine then continued to run at idle power. The pilot manipulated the throttle; however, the engine only responded with momentary increases in rpms. Subsequently, the pilot conducted a forced landing in a field, and the airplane came to rest upright. Substantial damage was noted to the airplane's fuselage. Following the forced landing, the pilot added that after a period of time, he re-entered the airplane to ensure the electrical power and fuel and were off and there was no fire. In addition, he removed the engine cowling and found the throttle linkage was "disconnected or broken." A postcrash examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector, noted that the bolt holding the throttle cable was missing. This was the bolt that the maintenance personnel reportedly installed with the safety wire earlier that day. The absence of the bolt allowed the throttle cable to "float", meaning, manipulating the throttle control from the cabin, would not govern the engine's throttle position. The throttle bolt was not located. The mixture control bolt was in place; however, the safety wire which ran from the mixture control bolt to the throttle bracket bolt was also missing and not recovered. The airplane was recovered to the salvage yard located at Beegles Aircraft Service, Greeley, Colorado. During an inspection there, Beegles personnel reported that after removing the top cowling, they found a bolt, laying in a bottom area of the cowling. The bolt; however, had manufactured holes in the head and was not new in appearance. It could not be determined whether this was the missing bolt. A review of FAA records revealed that the airplane's original Continental IO-470 engine was replaced with a Continental IO-550 engine under a field approval. The last annual inspection was completed on May 2, 2016, and the airplane had accumulated 10.44 hours, since the annual inspection. **This report was modified on August 9, 2024. Please see the public docket for this accident to view the original report.** The pilot and passenger were on a cross-country personal flight when the pilot noticed oil on the airplane's windscreen. The pilot subsequently landed and had maintenance personnel inspect the airplane. Maintenance personnel noted that the crankshaft seal was leaking and identified several other discrepancies. The pilot chose to have the repairs completed. During the repairs, maintenance personnel noticed that the bolt holding the throttle cable bracket was loose, worn, and not safety wired. The maintenance facility did not have an exact replacement bolt, so the mechanic found a similar bolt, drilled a hole in the bolt head for the safety wire, and installed the bolt. The mechanic reported that he installed the safety wire through the throttle bolt and then down to the mixture control bolt. Photographic stills from the maintenance shop security camera showed the pilot periodically inspected or observed the work as maintenance personnel finished the repairs on the airplane. The pilot also took a photograph of the fuel mixture cable and bolt during the repair process. After the repairs were completed, the pilot conducted a local test flight. No problems were noted, and the pilot and passenger continued their flight. After an en route fuel stop, the airplane departed and reached 2,300 ft, at which point the engine lost power Although the engine remained at idle, it would not respond to the pilot's throttle inputs. The pilot subsequently conducted a forced landing to a field. Following the forced landing, the pilot re-entered the airplane to ensure that the electrical power and fuel were off and that there was no fire. He then removed the engine cowling and found the throttle linkage "disconnected or broken." A postcrash examination of the airplane, revealed that the bolt holding the throttle cable bracket was missing, which had allowed the throttle cable to "float," meaning that manipulating the throttle control from the cabin would not govern the engine's throttle position. The examination also revealed that the mixture control bolt was in place. However, the throttle cable bolt and associated safety wire were not found; a bolt that was later found in the engine compartment after the airplane was transported to a salvage yard could not be positively identified as the missing bolt. Thus, based on the available information, it could not be determined how the throttle cable became unsecured. 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 Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Misc hardware-Fasteners-Not specified - C
• C Not determined-Not determined-(general)-(general)-Unknown/Not determined - C