- Date
- March 20, 1987, 13:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Linden, MI
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3630LCessna 172G
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 3, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870320007109A
- Case key
- 13546
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 pilot was attempting to land when he decided he was too high, and aborted the landing attempt. The engine failed to develop power despite throttle and mixture adjustments, and the pilot made a forced landing in a cornfield. Examination of the engine revealed there was no clearance between the rocker arm and the intake valve stem on cylinder #3, and none between the rocker arms and exhaust valve stems on #5 and #6 cylinders. The compression check showed no compression on #5 or #6 and very little compression on #3. All of the cylinders had been reconditioned 22 hours earlier.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3630L
- Reported as
- Cessna 172G
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172-53799
- Airframe hours
- 2,312
- Engine
- Continental O-300-D, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Walter Barlow
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 15, 1987 · 22 hours before
- Departed
- FNT · Flint, MI
- Airport
- 9G2 · Linden, runway 9, 2,509 × 50 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
- 43
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 31 total · 6 as pilot in command · 31 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 14 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FNT, 10 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.
Other investigations on N3630L · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.