N18174

On October 27, 1993, at 1800 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 177B, N18174, landed in a rice paddy near Pleasant Grove, California, when the pilot was unable to restart the engine following a simulated loss of engine power. The certificated flight instructor was conducting a local area dual instructional flight at the time. The airplane, operated by Sacramento Aero Service, sustained substantial damage. Neither the instructor nor the student pilot were injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated from Sacramento Natomas Field, Sacramento, California, on the day of the mishap at 1730.

In a verbal and written statement, the pilot reported that he pulled the mixture to idle cut off to simulate an engine failure for the student. He said that when he tried to restart the engine, the starter would not turn the propeller. He said he chose a landing site and landed the plane in a rice paddy. The aircraft nosed over during the landing roll.

The starter was removed and taken to George's Electrical Service in Sacramento, California. The starter was put on a calibrated test stand where it was tested. It developed 50 percent of its designed cranking power and made grinding noises. Inspection of the starter revealed that the starter had 24 volt brushes instead of the required 12 volt brushes. Further inspection also revealed that the starter was not lubricated, had a dry bendix coupling, and was cracked at the rear bearing housing.

A complete review of the maintenance records for the aircraft revealed no historical information on the starter. The dates of manufacture, overhaul, and installation on the engine were not located.