- Date
- March 6, 1982, 21:40 local (Mar 7, 1982, 04:40 UTC)
- Place
- Boulder, CO
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4899FCessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report March 6, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820306002479A
- Case key
- 70012
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 engine lost power while the aircraft was cruising at 7500 ft MSL at night. During a forced landing, the aircraft touched down on steep, rocky soil. The aircraft bounced and then nosed over after a second touchdown. During an interview about two hours after the accident, the pilot reported an indication of about 1800 RPM when the engine lost power. During that interview, he indicated that he may not have used carburetor heat while attempting to restart the engine. Later in a written statement he reported that he "pushed in carb heat" while attempting to restart the engine. The temperature was 27 degrees fahrenheit, but the dew point was not determined. When the fuel system was checked, no contamination was found. However, during impact, the firewall sump had ruptured and the carburetor was broken away from the engine. An engine teardown revealed no preimpact malfunction or failure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4899F
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17273098
- Airframe hours
- 495
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- John F. Byrns
- Registered owner
- John F. Byrns
- Departed
- BJC · Broomfield, CO
- Destination
- LCC
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
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 296 total · 296 in this make and model · 249 as pilot in command · 94 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Temperature
- 81 °F
- Observed at
- BJC, 7 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.