On September 30, 2023, about 1510 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182Q, N747UC, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Towanda, Pennsylvania. The private pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot reported that he performed a preflight inspection of the airplane in its hangar, which included checking oil and fuel quantity (55 gallons), and sampling fuel from the fuel tanks with no anomalies noted. The engine started normally and the engine run-up was normal. During initial climb from runway 23, about 300 ft above ground level, the engine began to run rough. The pilot varied the throttle, mixture, and carburetor heat levers in an attempt to restore power; however, the engine subsequently lost all power. The propeller continued to rotate and did not stop completely. The pilot moved the fuel selector from both, to left, to right, back to both, but was unable to restore engine power. He then performed a forced landing to a field. During the landing, the airplane nosed over, coming to rest inverted. The pilot then turned the fuel selector, magneto key, and master switch to the off position before exiting the airplane.
Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to both wings and the vertical stabilizer. The wreckage was further examined following its recovery to a salvage facility. Before transport, about 20 or more gallons were defueled from each wing (about 40 gallons or more total). The fuel was blue, clear, and absent of any visible contamination.
During the postaccident engine examination, the valve covers and the top spark plugs were removed. The spark plug electrodes were intact and gray in color. The propeller was rotated 360° by hand to confirm crankshaft, camshaft, and valvetrain continuity to the rear accessory section of the engine. The single-drive, dual magneto impulse coupling emitted activation noise during the propeller rotation. Thumb compression was also attained on all six cylinders.
The carburetor remained intact and continuity of its linkage was confirmed. The carburetor was then removed and disassembled and fuel was noted throughout the carburetor and fuel lines. The fuel was blue, clear, and absent of any visible contamination. The carburetor accelerator pump jet emitted a fuel stream when the throttle was actuated by hand.
The air intake and engine exhaust were free from obstructions. Lastly, a magneto timing test was performed, which revealed that the timing was correct.
Review of a carburetor icing chart revealed that the airplane was not susceptible to carburetor icing at cruise power for the prevailing temperature and dew point.