N222G

On April 2, 2009, about 1630 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 337G, N222G, encountered uneven terrain during a forced landing near Baker, California. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The certificated airline transport pilot and one passenger sustained minor injuries; the airplane sustained substantial damage to the airframe and wings. The cross-country personal flight departed Corona, California, at 1545, with a planned destination of Henderson, Nevada. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.

The pilot reported that he was in cruise flight when both engines began to sputter and lose power. He attempted a restart, but was unsuccessful. He stated that the airplane was losing altitude rapidly. He headed toward Interstate 15 thinking that he would be found quicker. He estimated that the wind was out of the southeast at 40 knots. He wanted to turn into the wind for the landing, but could only get to a gravel road, which had a crosswind. He lowered the landing gear at the last instant in an attempt to cushion the landing, and kept the left wing low into the wind. The left wing contacted a gravel berm along the left side of the road, and the airplane spun around on the road. The landing gear fractured and separated; the airplane came to rest with the right wing on the ground.

Recovery personnel reported that they drained 27 gallons of fuel from the left tank, and 1.5 gallons from the right tank.

The Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC) examined the airplane and engines.

The IIC removed the top spark plugs from the front engine. All spark plugs were clean and oval shaped with no mechanical deformation. The spark plug electrodes were gray in color, which corresponded to normal operation according to the Champion Aviation Check-A-Plug AV-27 Chart.

The IIC manually rotated the crankshaft with the propeller. The crankshaft rotated freely, and the valves moved approximately the same amount of lift in firing order. The gears in the accessory case turned freely, and he obtained thumb compression on all cylinders in firing order. He connected the spark plugs to the respective ignition harness leads, rotated the propeller, and produced spark at all plug electrodes.

The IIC removed the top spark plugs from the rear engine. All spark plugs were clean and oval shaped with no mechanical deformation. The spark plug electrodes were gray, which corresponded to normal operation according to the Champion Aviation Check-A-Plug AV-27 Chart.

The IIC manually rotated the crankshaft with the propeller. The crankshaft rotated freely, and the valves moved approximately the same amount of lift in firing order. The gears in the accessory case turned freely, and he obtained thumb compression on all cylinders in firing order. He connected the spark plugs to the respective ignition harness leads, rotated the propeller, and produced spark at all plug electrodes.

Recovery personnel plumbed a fuel supply to the left wing inlet line, and installed a propeller that was not certified for this airplane. The front engine was started without difficulty; there were no fuel flow indications due to impact damage. After the engine temperature stabilized, they applied full throttle and obtained 26 inches of manifold pressure and a maximum of 1,400 engine revolutions per minute (rpm). Initially black smoke came from the exhaust, but then it cleared. Movement of the mixture control had no effect until the last inch of travel toward the idle cutoff position. The engine idled smoothly at 700 rpm, and was shut off smoothly with the mixture control.

Recovery personnel plumbed a fuel supply to the right wing inlet line. The rear engine was started without difficulty; there were no fuel flow indications due to impact damage. After the engine temperature stabilized, they applied full throttle and the manifold pressure went to the top of the green arc. The engine rpm increased and was climbing through 2,500 rpm. They did not go higher as the rear propeller was deformed, and the engine started to vibrate. They set the rpm at 1,800 and completed a magneto check; the rpm dropped 100 rpm on the left magneto and 50 rpm on the right magneto. Aft movement of the mixture control smoothed out engine operation. The engine idled smoothly at 750 rpm, and was shut off smoothly by the mixture control with a 50-rpm rise.