| Crash location | 31.366667°N, 85.310000°W |
| Nearest city | Headland, AL
31.351284°N, 85.342156°W 2.2 miles away |
| Tail number | N7202E |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 28 Jul 2001 |
| Aircraft type | Cessna 182B |
| Additional details: | None |
On July 28, 2001, about 1327, central daylight time, a Cessna 182B, N7202E, registered to, and operated by a private individual, as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 parachute jumping flight, crashed while maneuvering following an aborted approach to land at Headland, Alabama. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The commercial-rated pilot was not injured, and the airplane incurred substantial damage. The flight originated the same day, about 1245.
The pilot stated that the skydivers had departed from the airplane at 10,600 feet, and as the aircraft descended the engine was operating at 2,000 rpm, and the selected manifold pressure was 15 inHg. At 8,000 feet the pilot said he noticed that the engine had ceased operating, and that the manifold pressure changed with each manipulation of the throttle, but the engine rpm remained low, at about 1,500 or 1,600 rpm. He said that prior to noticing that the engine had ceased operating, everything had been normal, and further stated that as he continued to descend and to maneuver to land, he tried troubleshooting the problem, and also tried to restart the engine, but his attempts were unsuccessful. He said he was at an altitude of 300 to 400 feet above the intersection of runway 09 and 17 when the engine started operating again, so he applied full power, and removed carburetor heat. He said he felt he was too far down the runway to land safely, so he elected to perform a go-around, and shortly after, as he made a steep left turn away from the landing runway, the engine ceased operating again, and while maneuvering to avoid obstacles the airplane struck the ground in a nose low attitude. He said that he first applied full flaps during the approach to land and that the flap setting remained unchanged until impact with the ground.
A postaccident examination of the airplane was conducted by an FAA inspector, as well as with representatives from Cessna Aircraft Company and Teledyne Continental Motors. The examination confirmed the presence of uncontaminated fuel, and did not reveal any preaccident failures or malfunctions to the airplane's flight controls, airframe, or engine.
The pilot's improper decision to perform a go-around while on short final to an available runway following loss of engine power for undetermined reasons when engine power was regained momentarily, which resulted in an impact with terrain while maneuvering at a low altitude to avoid obstacles when engine power was lost a second time.