- Date
- September 25, 1994, 14:05 local (19:05 UTC)
- Place
- Alabaster, AL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N2830UCessna 172D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 27, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940925030569A
- Case key
- 3450
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 pilot's failure to properly sump the fuel system during the preflight inspection that resulted in 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
As the airplane climbed through 100 feet, the pilot watched the engine RPM drop from 2360 to 1700. After attempts to restore full power failed, the pilot lowered full flaps and attempted a landing straight ahead. The nose wheel dug into the ground and the airplane flipped inverted. During the engine examination, water was discovered in the fuel system and the carburetor. The engine operated normally through all power ranges during the functional check. According to the pilot, the position of the airplane on the ramp prevented him from sumping the fuel system properly.
Factual narrative
On September 25, 1994, at 1405 central daylight time, a Cessna 172D, N2830U, collided with the ground during a forced landing attempt at Shelby County Airport, Alabaster, Alabama. The personal flight operated under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91, with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage; the pilot and passenger were not injured. The accident occurred during the initial takeoff attempt from Alabaster.
According to the pilot, as the airplane climbed through 100 feet above ground level (agl), takeoff rpm dropped to 1700 rpm. Attempts to regain full engine power failed; the pilot selected a forced landing area in the clear cut section off the departure end of the runway. During the emergency landing, the airplane bounced once and nosed over when the nose wheel dug into the soft ground.
During the post-accident examination of the airplane, water was discovered in the fuel system and in the carburetor; the engine operated normally during the functional check. According to the pilot, the airplane was parked on a slope during the preflight inspection.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2830U
- Reported as
- Cessna 172D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17250430
- Airframe hours
- 4,600
- Engine
- Continental O-300, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Wood, Richard G.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 1994 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- 21A
- Destination
- 21A
- Airport
- 21A · Shelby County Airport, runway 33, 3,800 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 65
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,120 total · 1,050 in this make and model · 25 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BHM, 15 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.