- Date
- March 27, 1989, 12:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- West Bend, WI
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N9578VCessna 172M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 25, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890327004779A
- Case key
- 14204
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
Partial failure of the throttle cable. Unsuitable (soft) terrain and transmission wires in the landing area were considered to be factors.
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
While on final approach to land, the pilot advanced the throttle to decrease his rate of descent; however, he was unable to obtain an increase in engine power, though the engine continued to run. He selected the dryest available field for an emergency landing. After crossing over an obstruction (power line), he landed. After landing, the aircraft encountered soft terrain & started to nose over as it was crossing under a second power line. Before nosing over, its tail snagged on the second power line & the aircraft came to rest on its nose. An exam of the aircraft revealed the throttle cable had partially failed in such a manner that throttle movement would not operate the throttle arm.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9578V
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17264380
- Airframe hours
- 5,272
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gran Aire, Inc.
- Registered owner
- R.A. Meeusen/D.L. Meeusen
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 22, 1988 · 93 hours before
- Departed
- MWC · Milwaukee, WI
- Destination
- ETB
- Airport
- ETB · West Bend Muni, runway 24, 3,900 × 75 ft, concrete
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
- 28
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 93 total · 13 in this make and model · 57 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MWC, 45 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 N9578V · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.