20130326003989I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 172N · Jamestown, ND · March 26, 2013

Date
March 26, 2013 · 13:55 local
Place
Jamestown, ND
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N37WT
Reported as
Cessna 172N
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
107 total107 in this make and model9 in the last 90 days

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.

At cruise aircraft failed to maintain power to sustain flight. Pilot landed the aircraft in a snow covered field causing damage to right wingtip and both propeller blades were bent. All damage noted was caused by impact on landing. Engine timing, presence of fuel, spark plugs, and cylinder compression were determined to be in normal working order. Pilot reported possible carb ice conditions and applied partial carb heat with no noticeable affect in RPM. Normal procedure is full on or full off. Cause of power loss could not positively be determined.

As the FAA filed it

AT CRUISE AIRCRAFT FAILED TO MAINTAIN POWER TO SUSTAIN FLIGHT. PILOT LANDED THE AIRCRAFT IN A SNOW COVERED FIELD CAUSING DAMAGE TO RIGHT WINGTIP AND BOTH PROPELLER BLADES WERE BENT. ALL DAMAGE NOTED WAS CAUSED BY IMPACT ON LANDING. ENGINE TIMING, PRESENCE OF FUEL, SPARK PLUGS, AND CYLINDER COMPRESSION WERE DETERMINED TO BE IN NORMAL WORKING ORDER. PILOT REPORTED POSSIBLE CARB ICE CONDITIONS AND APPLIED PARTIAL CARB HEAT WITH NO NOTICEABLE AFFECT IN RPM. NORMAL PROCEDURE IS FULL ON OR FULL OFF. CAUSE OF POWER LOSS COULD NOT POSITIVELY BE DETERMINED.