# NTSB ATL99LA125: Cessna 172P, N7883U, Buchanan, GA, September 6, 1999 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: September 6, 1999, 12:50 local (16:50 UTC) - Place: Buchanan, GA - Coordinates: 33.799896, -85.180145 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.7999&lon=-85.1801&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 3 uninjured - Status: Completed, report August 10, 2000 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 47293 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ATL99LA125 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/47293/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL99LA125 ## Probable cause The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. Factors were conditions favorable for the formation of carburetor ice during glide and cruise, and rough and uneven terrain. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, cruise - reason for occurrence undetermined (cause) - weather condition - carburetor icing conditions (contributing factor) - Forced landing, descent - emergency - In flight collision with terrain/water, emergency descent/landing - terrain condition - rough/uneven (contributing factor) ## Analysis The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to show the airplane to two prospective buyers. According to the pilot, several minutes into the flight the engine lost power. Attempts to restart the engine failed. During the attempted forced landing, the pilot maneuvered the airplane to avoid a collision with utility lines; the airplane subsequently collided with the ground, and rested adjacent to a fence inside a pasture. The post-accident examination of the airplane at the accident site disclosed that the carburetor assembly was broken from the normally installed position. During the subsequent examination of the engine assembly, raw fuel was observed on several spark plugs, and the several cylinders displayed dark residue inside the combustion chambers. During the functional check, the engine operated normally up to 2000 RPM. A review of weather data and icing probability charts, at the approximate time of the accident disclosed that conditions were favorable for the formation of carburetor ice. ## Factual narrative On September 6, 1999, at 1250 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172P, N7883U, collided with the ground during an attempted forced landing near Buchanan, Georgia. The personal flight was operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 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 private pilot and his two passengers were not injured. The flight departed Stockmar Airport in Villa Rica, Georgia, at 1200. The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to show the airplane to two prospective buyers. According to the pilot, several minutes into the flight the engine lost power. Attempts to restart the engine failed. The pilot reported that he was also searching for an emergency landing area. As the airplane got lower the pilot maneuvered the airplane to avoid a collision with utility lines; the airplane subsequently collided with the ground, and rested adjacent to a fence inside a pasture. The terrain at the accident site was rough and uneven. The post-accident examination of the airplane at the accident site disclosed that the airplane sustained structural damage to the underside of the nose section of the airframe. The carburetor assembly was broken from the normally installed position, and a small engine oil leak was also noted on the bottom of the engine. The wreckage examination also revealed structural damage to the empennage section of the airframe. During the subsequent examination of the engine assembly, raw fuel was observed on several spark plugs, and several cylinders displayed dark residue inside the combustion chambers. A post-accident functional check of the engine assembly was accomplished. During the engine run, it operated normally up to 2000 RPM; safety considerations prevented full operation. A review of weather data at the approximate time of the accident disclosed that conditions were favorable for the formation of carburetor ice. The pilot reported that the flight departed with approximately 40 gallons of automotive fuel. The pilot also did not report applying carburetor heat prior to the total loss of engine power. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N7883U](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N7883U-2012-11-16), registration cancelled 2012-11-16, S/N 17251883, built 1964 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 172P - Registry model: [Cessna 172F](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172f) (registry code 2072414) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental 0-300 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-300-series) (registry code 17022, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 17251883 - Airframe hours: 2880 - Engines: Continental O-300C 145 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Joel A. Fraizer - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, October 13, 1998, 3 hours before - Departed: VILLA RICA, GA ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 63; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: unknown, expired; seat: left; flight hours: 473 total, 392 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 91 °F, dew point 52 °F - Altimeter: 29.00 inHg - Observed at: FFC, 20 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19990906041399A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990906041399A), Sep 6, 1999: Cessna 172F, Buchanan, GA, Substantial damage. (.4) The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to show the airplane to two prospective buyers. According to the pilot, several minutes into the… ## Other investigations on N7883U (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB MIA66D0496](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA66D0496), Mar 13, 1966: Cessna 172 (N7883U), Morristown, TN, substantial damage From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.