NTSB Factual Report

On February 22, 2004, at 1600 central standard time, a Cessna 182A single-engine airplane, N30408, registered to a private individual and operated by Sky Dive Tulsa of Claremore, Oklahoma, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain following a partial loss of engine power during takeoff initial climb from the Sam Riggs Airpark (K11), near Claremore, Oklahoma. The commercial pilot, and two passengers were not injured. One passenger sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 air drop flight. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident.

The 2,100-hour pilot reported that he taxied to runway 22 (a 2,760 foot long by 35 foot wide turf runway), performed an engine run up, and noted everything was normal. After departure, at an altitude of approximately 500 feet agl, the engine "lost most of its power output." The pilot stated he applied carburetor heat and did not notice improvement. He banked the airplane slightly to the right to avoid an approaching tree line and initiated an emergency landing to an open grass field. Subsequently, the airplane's right wingtip struck the ground. The airplane yawed to the left, and the left main landing gear dug into soft ground. The airplane then "made a small hop" to the left, and impacted the ground on its left side, and came to rest in an upright position.

The pilot stated that the airplane was last refueled using fuel from five 5-gallon plastic containers prior to the flight. He noted there was 12 gallons of fuel in the left fuel tank, and three gallons in the right fuel tank.

Examination of the airplane, by an Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, revealed the left wing, outboard of the wing lift strut was bent upwards approximately 45 degrees. The right wing was bent upwards approximately three degrees, one foot inboard from the wing tip. The engine was separated from all its mounts. Examination of the airplane's fuel system revealed a light brown milky substance in the carburetor bowl and both wing fuel tanks. Water was observed in one of the five containers used for refueling.

On March 4, 2004, under the supervision of an FAA inspector at the facilities of Barrett Performance Engines of Tulsa, Oklahoma, the engine was successfully ran for 30 minutes at various power settings on a test bench.

Review of the aircraft logbooks indicated the airplane's last annual inspection was performed on March 16, 2003, at an aircraft total time of 3,723.41 hours.

A completed Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) was not received by the Safety Board despite multiple attempts.

NTSB Probable Cause

The loss of engine power due to fuel contamination (water). A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.