What happened
On March 10, 2002, a Cessna 182P, registration EC-CKZ, was conducting a local flight near San Javier, Spain. After completing several takeoff and landing exercises, the aircraft was returning to the airport when the engine began to sputter approximately 10 miles from the airfield. The pilot attempted various troubleshooting steps, including adjusting the fuel mixture to a rich setting, adjusting the propeller pitch, and switching the fuel selector between the right tank and both tanks.
After declaring an emergency with Air Traffic Control, the pilot identified an almond orchard as a potential landing site. During the maneuver to reach the field, the aircraft passed near pine trees and narrowly cleared an electrical power line. As the pilot prepared for the emergency touchdown, the engine failed completely. The aircraft struck the ground on the right main gear due to the slope of the terrain, subsequently impacting a small tree with the nose gear. The aircraft then overturned, coming to rest in an inverted position. The occupants were forced to evacuate through the right-side door because the fuselage deformation had blocked the left door.
The investigation
Investigators examined the aircraft's maintenance history and fuel consumption. The aircraft had been stationary for six months, having last flown in September 2001. On the day of the accident, the pilot had refueled the aircraft with approximately 33.3 gallons of fuel. Calculations of the flight's fuel consumption indicated that sufficient fuel should have remained in both the left and right tanks to complete the flight.
Technical inspections of the engine revealed that the spark plugs showed light carbon deposits, consistent with the pilot's report of a rich mixture. While the engine's cylinder compression was within acceptable limits and the propeller was functional, fuel samples taken from the fuel drain filter contained water.
Findings
- The engine failure was caused by the ingestion of water into the engine from the fuel tanks.
- The water originated from condensation that had accumulated inside the fuel tanks during the six-month period the aircraft remained unoperated.
- The engine's initial sputtering was consistent with the ingestion of small amounts of water, leading to the eventual total loss of power.
- The aircraft's fuel tanks had been left at half capacity during its period of inactivity, facilitating the condensation process.