Narrative:

I leveled off the aircraft at 6500 ft, adjusted the power settings for cruise flight, trimmed it out and began leaning the engine. That's when it happened. As soon as I touched the mixture control knob the engine quit. I declared an emergency with ZHU and I asked for vectors to the nearest airport as I was trimming for best glide speed. I trimmed for best glide speed and then hit the 'nrst' button on the GPS. It indicated ZZZ 5 mi behind me. Just as I started my turn back, houston gave me this same airport as the closest and advised me to steer 140 degrees. Houston communicated closely with us during the 4-5 min glide to ZZZ and there was a baron in our area that relayed our messages to houston once we got too low for houston to hear us. We made it to the 3000 ft strip and had an uneventful landing. We took the cowl off the airplane to find that the clamp holding the mixture control cable at the carburetor was loose. The cable housing apparently came out of the clamp as soon as I touched the mixture control to begin leaning the engine. When the cable popped out of the clamp, it pulled the carburetor mixture to idle cut-off and killed the engine. As a side note, 2 a&P mechanics at ZZZ looked at the cable clamp and said it hadn't come loose -- it had been 'left' loose. I had an oil filter adapter put on the C182 above 3 weeks prior. The mixture cable had to be rerted to accommodate the filter location. Apparently, the a&P who did this work didn't quite finish the job.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C182 PLT EXPERIENCES AN ENG FAILURE WHEN ADJUSTING THE MIXTURE CTL ON LEVELOFF AT CRUISE ALT, DECLARES AN EMER, AND LANDS AT DIVERT FIELD. FAILURE CAUSED BY IMPROPERLY INSTALLED MIXTURE CTL CABLE.

Narrative: I LEVELED OFF THE ACFT AT 6500 FT, ADJUSTED THE PWR SETTINGS FOR CRUISE FLT, TRIMMED IT OUT AND BEGAN LEANING THE ENG. THAT'S WHEN IT HAPPENED. AS SOON AS I TOUCHED THE MIXTURE CTL KNOB THE ENG QUIT. I DECLARED AN EMER WITH ZHU AND I ASKED FOR VECTORS TO THE NEAREST ARPT AS I WAS TRIMMING FOR BEST GLIDE SPD. I TRIMMED FOR BEST GLIDE SPD AND THEN HIT THE 'NRST' BUTTON ON THE GPS. IT INDICATED ZZZ 5 MI BEHIND ME. JUST AS I STARTED MY TURN BACK, HOUSTON GAVE ME THIS SAME ARPT AS THE CLOSEST AND ADVISED ME TO STEER 140 DEGS. HOUSTON COMMUNICATED CLOSELY WITH US DURING THE 4-5 MIN GLIDE TO ZZZ AND THERE WAS A BARON IN OUR AREA THAT RELAYED OUR MESSAGES TO HOUSTON ONCE WE GOT TOO LOW FOR HOUSTON TO HEAR US. WE MADE IT TO THE 3000 FT STRIP AND HAD AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG. WE TOOK THE COWL OFF THE AIRPLANE TO FIND THAT THE CLAMP HOLDING THE MIXTURE CTL CABLE AT THE CARB WAS LOOSE. THE CABLE HOUSING APPARENTLY CAME OUT OF THE CLAMP AS SOON AS I TOUCHED THE MIXTURE CTL TO BEGIN LEANING THE ENG. WHEN THE CABLE POPPED OUT OF THE CLAMP, IT PULLED THE CARB MIXTURE TO IDLE CUT-OFF AND KILLED THE ENG. AS A SIDE NOTE, 2 A&P MECHS AT ZZZ LOOKED AT THE CABLE CLAMP AND SAID IT HADN'T COME LOOSE -- IT HAD BEEN 'LEFT' LOOSE. I HAD AN OIL FILTER ADAPTER PUT ON THE C182 ABOVE 3 WKS PRIOR. THE MIXTURE CABLE HAD TO BE RERTED TO ACCOMMODATE THE FILTER LOCATION. APPARENTLY, THE A&P WHO DID THIS WORK DIDN'T QUITE FINISH THE JOB.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.