Cessna 182S accident near Henry'S Lake, Idaho, July 21, 2003
On July 21, 2003 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Cessna 182S, registered N146NE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Henry'S Lake, Idaho. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A set of inadequately torqued vacuum pump retaining nuts, leading to the failure of the vacuum pump gasket, resulting in oil exhaustion, which resulted in a loss of engine power during cruise. A ditch and rough uneven terrain were factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 2003 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Henry'S Lake, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182S · all 182Ss on the register
- Registration
- N146NE · registry record · serial 18280221
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that about five minutes after takeoff, the oil low pressure light illuminated and shortly thereafter he heard a knocking sound coming from the engine. The pilot shut the engine down and attempted to return to the airport of departure. Unable to make it to the airport, a power-off landing was made to a rough open field about one mile from the runway. Although the touchdown was uneventful, during the landing roll, the aircraft encountered a ditch, which resulted in the separation of the nose gear and substantial damage to the aircraft structure. On site inspection of the aircraft indicated that oil residue was noted at the aft end of the engine around the accessory section. After the tail was lowered, a noticeable oil leak was noted around the vacuum pump flange (approximately 6 drops per minute). Further inspection of the engine found that the pneumatic pump gasket had failed and was blown out the top between the mating surfaces of the pump and the mounting pad. All four mounting nuts of the pump were found only slightly more than finger tight and were removed with no resistance. The internal star locking washers were in place under the nuts and had been crushed indicating proper torque at one time. Standard torque on these nuts is 90" pounds.
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: 324 hours in all; 230 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 252 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 10, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 880 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2002; 207 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-AB1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U53 Henry'S Lake ID at 6:28 pm
- Destination: PIH Pocatello ID
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.
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 SEA03LA146.