Cessna 182K accident near Mayer, Arizona, June 29, 2000
On June 29, 2000 at about 3:50 pm local time, a Cessna 182K, registered N3094Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mayer, Arizona. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the total loss of engine power resulting from the mechanic's failure to properly torque the connecting rod bolt nuts during engine overhaul.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 29, 2000 · about 3:50 pm local time
- Place
- Mayer, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182K · all 182Ks on the register
- Registration
- N3094Q · registry record · serial 18258094
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with terrain during a forced landing following a catastrophic engine failure. The commercial pilot reported that he had the single engine airplane established in a cruise climb when he heard and felt a loud explosion coming from the engine. He then observed numerous punctures in the top of the engine cowling after the explosion, and reported that the engine stopped running within 10 seconds. The pilot elected to land on a gravel road. He reported that the airplane touched down at 70 knots and eventually ran off the side of the gravel road, which had a sharp bend to the left. The airplane impacted low brush and boulders and traveled down a hill before coming to rest. The engine underwent its last overhaul on June 16, 2000, and had accumulated approximately 5 hours since the overhaul, 2 of which were in the engine test cell. Post-accident examination of the engine revealed that the two connecting rod bolt nuts for the number 6 rod were laying in the bottom of the engine case. The nuts were not stripped or damaged.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,025 hours in all; 476 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 34 in the last 30 days; 1,889 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 6, 1998
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,747.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 16, 2000; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PRC Prescott AZ at 3:15 pm
- Destination: PHX Phoenix AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 13,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from PRC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N3094Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.