- Date
- June 23, 1989, 17:15 local (22:15 UTC)
- Place
- Centreville, AL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N70RSCessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890623017459A
- Case key
- 8040
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The student pilot's failure to remove all remaining water from the airplane fuel system during pre-flight inspection which led to a total loss of power.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The student plt reported that the engine lost power while he was performing turns. A forced ldg was subsequently made in a field. The airplane encountered soft dirt during the ldg and nosed over. The student attributed the pwr loss to water in the fuel. He reported that he had drained about 1 pint of water from one of the tanks during pre-flt inspection, and that he rocked the wings and lowered the tail during the inspection in an attempt to remove all remaining water. The student noted that a lot of rain had fallen over the preceding 2 weeks, and that the airplane was parked outside with less-than-full tanks during that time period. A mechanic who examined the airplane after the mishap reported that he found water in the carburetor. The fuel tank filler-cap gaskets were intact and pliable.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N70RS
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 46470
- Airframe hours
- 3,258
- Engine
- Continental O-300-D, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Lee, Charles D.
- Registered owner
- Lee, Charles D
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 1988 · 31 hours before
- Departed
- OA8 · Centreville, AL
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 17
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 19 total · 19 in this make and model · 12 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 63 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.