Cessna R182 accident near Santa Maria, California, December 17, 2001
On December 17, 2001 at about 2:15 am local time, a Cessna R182, registered N7317X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Santa Maria, California (Santa Maria Pub/Capt G Allan H airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Inadequate maintenance and inspection of the engine dual magneto that resulted in a loss of engine power during a critical phase of flight, and the subsequent undershoot forced landing in soft terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 17, 2001 · about 2:15 am local time
- Place
- Santa Maria, California · Santa Maria Pub/Capt G Allan H · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R182 · all R182s on the register
- Registration
- N7317X · registry record · serial R18200073
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane came to rest inverted after colliding with the airport perimeter fence. While on approach to the airport, the airplane lost engine power and the pilot made a forced landing. Initial inspection revealed that the P-Lead for the dual magneto was not connected to the system properly. The inspection also revealed that the left side magneto timing was 10 degrees after top dead center. The right side magneto timing was within manufacturer's specifications. Further examination revealed that the points on the left side of the magneto were closed rendering the left side inoperative. A functional check of the ignition harness capacitors was conducted. When the ignition harness cover was secured to the magneto the left capacitor was intermittent. With the cover loosened, the left magneto functioned properly. It was noted that TCM SB 662A, replacement of date code affected capacitors, and TCM SB 651, capacitor grounding wire and attaching wire routing, had not been complied with. The magneto was sent to the manufacturer for further examination. The examination revealed that the primary ignition lead wire coil was misrouted from the terminal post to the distributor block. This allowed the wire to become trapped between the case halves when the cover was secured. When the wire was routed properly and bench tested it was found to operate within manufacturer's specifications. Engine logbook entries indicated that 2 weeks prior to the accident the engine would not run on the right magneto. The repair shop work order indicated that the left side points were grounded, rendering the left side of the magneto inoperative. The points were readjusted and the magneto was retimed on both sides. The magneto was returned as serviceable and reinstalled on the engine; however, the problem persisted. The ignition switch and magneto capacitor were replaced, and the right magneto postion P-Lead was repaired. The airplane was returned to service after a ground run revealed no mechancial anomalies.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 450 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 450 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 9, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,625 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2001; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-J3C5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HJO Hanford CA at 1:00 am
- Destination: SMX Santa Maria CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 6,304 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 1:51 am from SMX
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 N7317X the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX02LA050.