- Date
- September 17, 1990, 13:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- Ozark, AL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6411VCessna 172RG
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 12, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900917039599A
- Case key
- 8275
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
Inadequate engine overhaul procedures which allowed the installation of the engine plug without safety wire to hold it in place, and which resulted in oil starvation of the engine.
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 instructor reported that after leveling at cruise altitude a burning odor was detected. A forced landing to a hayfield was begun. During the descent oil covered the windscreen & the engine seized. While on landing roll the nose landing gear sheared. Subsequent exam of the engine revealed that a plug which had been inserted in one of the vacant engine component drive gear openings had not been safety wired. The plug was found in the bottom of the engine cowling. The engine oil had drained out of the drive opening when the plug fell out which resulted in seizure of the engine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6411V
- Reported as
- Cessna 172RG
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172RG0673
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360F1A6, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Alabama Aviation & Tech Coll
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 21, 1990 · 0 hours before
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
- 32
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 722 total · 87 in this make and model · 717 as pilot in command · 346 in the last 90 days · 91 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 45° at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.