Cessna TR182 accident near Copemish, Michigan, July 27, 2002
On July 27, 2002 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna TR182, registered N756CS, was destroyed in an accident near Copemish, Michigan. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The in-flight engine and cabin fire caused by a fatigue fracture of the left exhaust stack assembly. An additional cause was the part's inadequate design by the aftermarket part manufacturer. A factor to the accident was the soft field in which the emergency landing was made.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 27, 2002 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Copemish, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TR182 · all TR182s on the register
- Registration
- N756CS · no longer on the register · serial R18201041
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was destroyed during an on-ground fire following an emergency descent/landing due to an in-flight fire. The pilot reported that he smelled smoke followed by the cabin filling with heavy black smoke. The pilot stated flames began to enter the cockpit as he maneuvered the airplane for a landing in an agricultural field. The airplane nosed over during the landing. The left exhaust stack assembly contained a fatigue fracture adjacent to the main collector welded joint. The fracture was in both the heat affected zone and parent material. The fracture initiated in multiple locations on the outside surface of the tube and progressed through a fatigue mechanism. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed that both the weld and tube material met design specifications. The weld profile contained no apparent flaws. The left exhaust stack assembly had accumulated approximately 100 hours since new. The design of the Cessna supplied left exhaust stack assembly differs from the comparable Knisley PMA assembly. The Cessna assembly has a two-piece main collector. The two halves are stamped-out and joined together with a seam weld. The weight of the turbocharger assembly is supported in part by the left exhaust stack assembly. The Knisley main collector is manufactured by welding several tube sections together. Knisley issued a mandatory service bulletin that called for the removal of their left exhaust stack assembly and its replacement with the current Cessna assembly or FAA approved equivalent. The service bulletin states that the replacement was instituted because the Knisely assembly was not designed to carry the load of the turbocharger and compressor.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 754 hours in all; 105 in this make and model; 78 in the last 90 days; 44 in the last 30 days; 625 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 3, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,394.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 3, 2002; 88.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-L3C5D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: LDM Ludington MI at 4:15 pm
- Destination: TVC Traverse City MI
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,300 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from MBL, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.