N3078F

On September 29, 2013, about 1530 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 182J, N3078F, landed short of the runway at Dona Ana County Airport (5T6), Santa Teresa, New Mexico, after the engine lost power. The pilot, the sole occupant on board, was not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a skydiving flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed. The local flight originated from 5T6 about 1505.

The pilot told a Federal Aviation Administration inspector that he was returning to the airport after parachutists had exited the airplane. During the descent, he momentarily opened throttle several times to "clear" the engine. Carburetor heat was on throughout the descent. When he went to advance the throttle to level off in the traffic pattern, the engine failed to respond. The pilot immediately turned towards runway 28. The airplane landed short of the runway. Post-accident inspection revealed the firewall was buckled and the nose landing gear was bent forward.

According to the operator, the engine was functionally tested and it operated normally. It was his opinion that when the pilot advanced the throttle to level off, the engine "loaded up" and failed to respond.