Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

On May 2, 2013, at 1127 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 182T, N2012Y, experienced a loss of propeller control during cruise flight. The pilot performed a forced landing on a highway after the airplane was unable to maintain altitude. The airplane impacted power lines and terrain during a forced landing near Delta, Colorado. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The private pilot was uninjured. The airplane was registered to Janair LLC and operated by Colorado Flight Center under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan had not been filed for a local flight that originated from Grand Junction Regional Airport (GJT), Grand Junction, Colorado, at 1045 and was returning to GJT.

The pilot stated that he performed touch and go landings at Montrose Regional Airport, Montrose, Colorado, and was returning to GJT during the accident flight. During the return flight to GJT, he reduced manifold pressure to 19 inches of mercury and began to reduce propeller speed from 2,400 rpm to 2,250 rpm shortly after the airplane leveled off at a cruise altitude of 8,000 feet mean sea level. While adjusting propeller speed, the propeller speed "dropped abruptly" to about 2,100 rpm while he was turning the propeller speed control knob. He then pushed the propeller speed control knob full in, but there was no change in propeller speed. He then pushed the throttle control in to full power. The airplane airspeed was about 110 knots indicated airspeed (KIAS), but was decreasing. The pilot descended the airplane to 7,500 feet msl at which point the airspeed stabilized at 85 KIAS, and the manifold pressure was 20.9 inches Hg. After a few miles, the propeller speed became erratic, ranging from 2,150 rpm to 2,040 rpm. The pilot tried to adjust the propeller speed again by cycling the propeller and returning the propeller control knob to the full in position, but the propeller speed remained erratic, above and below 2,100 rpm. The pilot said that shortly after diverting the flight to Blake Field Airport, Delta, Colorado, he heard a clunking sound from the front of the airplane. He said that is was not a ringing or rapping sound, but a heavy muffled clunking sound. The airplane lost all thrust, and he performed a forced landing with no flaps extended in attempt to attain a landing to a highway. The pilot turned to airplane to fly between power lines, but the airplane struck the power lines while in the turn. The airplane touched down on the highway and went off the right shoulder after the right main landing gear had separated.

The last inspection of the airplane was an annual inspection with an airplane logbook entry date of March 8, 2013, at a total airframe tachometer times of 1,627.0 hours. The entry stated that the propeller governor was overhauled. The next entry was dated April 17, 2013, and stated that an overhauled propeller was installed. The propeller