- Date
- July 26, 1989, 22:40 local (Jul 27, 1989, 02:40 UTC)
- Place
- Wixom, MI
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N12662Cessna 172M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report March 25, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890726025349A
- Case key
- 14391
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
Carburetor ice due to the pilot's improper use of carburetor heat. Factors related to the accident were: weather conditions conducive to carburetor ice, dark night, and tree(s) in the emergency landing area.
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 pilot attempted to go around during a night visual approach and experienced total loss of engine power. As he was making a forced landing in a cultivated field near the end of the runway, the aircraft struck a tree, then landed hard. No contamination was found in the fuel system. The engine ran normally in a post-accident test. Conditions were favorable for carburetor icing. The pilot did not get a weather briefing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N12662
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17262157
- Airframe hours
- 1,769
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Thomas Adams, Jr.
- Registered owner
- J & W Leasing
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 22, 1989 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- PTK · Pontiac, MI
- Airport
- 2G4 · Spencer Field, runway 36, 2,550 × 100 ft, grass/turf
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
- 24
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 275 total · 200 in this make and model · 200 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 270° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PTK, 13 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.