Cessna 182F accident near Millville, Iowa, February 24, 2021
On February 24, 2021 at about 10:00 pm local time, a 1963 Cessna 182F, registered N3209U, was substantially damaged in an accident during prior to flight near Millville, Iowa. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadequate maintenance/inspection of the airplane, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to oil starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 24, 2021 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Millville, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182F, built 1963 · all 182Fs on the register
- Registration
- N3209U · no longer on the register · serial 18254609
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that, during climb from the departure airport, the engine made a loud growling noise, lost power, and began producing smoke. The pilot then performed a forced landing on a road, during which the airplane nosed over and impacted terrain. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed a hole in the crankcase and a failure of two cylinders consistent with oil starvation. The majority of oil residue was located below and aft of the oil breather tube, which was to alleviate normal crankcase pressures. The crankcase nose seal exhibited an oil leak that would have also allowed ram air pressure to pressurize the crankcase above normal pressures and force engine oil out through the oil breather tube resulting in oil starvation/exhaustion. Oil leakage from the crankcase breather tube would have been progressive and not instantaneous. The oil leakage from the crankcase nose seal and breather tube should have been identified by those performing maintenance and/or preflight inspections of the airplane after seeing decreased oil levels, oil residue external to the engine, and seepage from the crankcase nose seal.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute
- Aircraft maintenance event during prior to flight
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during prior to flight defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng front section › Not specified
- Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Maintenance/inspections › (general) › Inadequate inspection
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Oil › Fluid level
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 500 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 19, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,634 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 11, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: C74 Cassville WI at 9:55 pm
- Destination: DBQ Dubuque IA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from DBQ, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on September 1, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Examination - FAA | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Last Aircraft Annual Inspection Record | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Continental Service Bulletin M89-9 | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Photo Log | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.