CESSNA T182T — Lebanon, NH

What happened

During the takeoff climb from runway 36, when the airplane was about 1/2 mile from the runway and at an altitude of 1,500 feet mean sea level, the pilot told the air traffic controller that he needed to return to land. He did not specify the nature of the problem. The pilot aligned the airplane for landing on runway 18 but was too high and fast to land. The airplane continued beyond the departure end of the runway and appeared to enter a modified downwind and base traffic pattern for runway 36. However, witnesses observed the airplane pass through the final approach and then make a sharp left turn back toward runway 36. During that turn, the airplane appeared to stall and subsequently impacted the grass east of runway 36. The airplane had been in a reasonable position to land on runway 36 before it passed through the final approach.

No preimpact anomalies were noted with the airplane or engine. Examination of the engine revealed that the intake and exhaust springs were shorter than the length prescribed by the manufacturer. If the springs were in this condition before the accident, it is likely the pilot would have noticed some engine roughness. However, it is also possible that the springs may have lost tension during the postcrash fire.

Testing of the fuel that was added to the airplane just before takeoff revealed no anomalies. The airplane had flown 8 hours since its most recent annual inspection, which occurred 3 months before the accident. It was unclear how much recent flight time the pilot had accumulated; his most recent logged experience was 3 months before the accident.

An editorial "what led to it / how to avoid it" analysis for this accident is generated separately and will appear here.