- Date
- April 13, 1992, 10:25 local (15:25 UTC)
- Place
- Kellyville, OK
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N54736Cessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 29, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920413009699A
- Case key
- 15288
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
An inadvertent stall and misjudgement of an emergency procedure by the pilot in trying to stretch the forced landing approach to make it to the airstrip.
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 had just taken off for a pipeline patrol, and was maneuvering near the airstrip. Witnesses reported hearing the engine sound decrease in volume. One witness stated that 'the engine sounded like it was running at half power.' Pilot passed up opportunity to land in clear field approximately one-quarter mile west of airstrip, and stalled the aircraft attempting to make it back to the airstrip. Aircraft struck power lines at field boundary and crashed onto airstrip. Investigation revealed that the throttle cable had become disengaged from the throttle handle. The engine had been overhauled twice, and had accumulated 7218 hours operating time. No record of throttle control replacement could be found. Manufacturer's service manual recommends replacement every 1500 hours.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N54736
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17275044
- Airframe hours
- 7,218
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Operator
- David A. Kessler
- Registered owner
- David A. Kessler
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 7, 1992 · 68 hours before
- Airport
- 1OK0 · Neversweat Airport, runway 15, 2,950 × 75 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
- 37
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 10,700 total · 6,500 in this make and model · 10,500 as pilot in command · 222 in the last 90 days · 70 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TUL, 26 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.