19970524015839I

Incident

FAA incident report · Cessna 172P · Pasco, WA · May 24, 1997

Date: May 24, 1997 · 11:00 local
Place: Pasco, WA
Airport: Tri Cities Airport
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Aircraft: N97702
Reported as: Cessna 172P
Reported engine: Lycoming O320D2J
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0

N97702Registered now · Cessna 172PS/N 17276222 · Built 1984 Airframe modelCessna 172P Engine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: during vfr/vmc flight from yakima, WA (ykm) to provo, Utah, pilot of N97702 reported a stuck engine throttle. Pilot shut down engine and landed at Pasco, WA (psc) without incident. Mechanics at Pasco, WA discovered during their investigation that the required castellated nut and cotter key was missing from the bolt that secures the engine throttle cable rod-end to the carburetor. This missing hardware allowed the bolt to move enough to cause the throttle to jam. A new bolt, nut and cotter key was installed and engine was functionally checked and found to perform satisfactorily.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: DURING VFR/VMC FLIGHT FROM YAKIMA, WA (YKM) TO PROVO, UTAH, PILOT OF N97702 REPORTED A STUCK ENGINE THROTTLE. PILOT SHUT DOWN ENGINE AND LANDED AT PASCO, WA (PSC) WITHOUT INCIDENT. MECHANICS AT PASCO, WA DISCOVERED DURING THEIR INVESTIGATION THAT THE REQUIRED CASTELLATED NUT AND COTTER KEY WAS MISSING FROM THE BOLT THAT SECURES THE ENGINE THROTTLE CABLE ROD-END TO THE CARBURETOR. THIS MISSING HARDWARE ALLOWED THE BOLT TO MOVE ENOUGH TO CAUSE THE THROTTLE TO JAM. A NEW BOLT, NUT AND COTTER KEY WAS INSTALLED AND ENGINE WAS FUNCTIONALLY CHECKED AND FOUND TO PERFORM SATISFACTORILY.