- Date
- February 23, 1990, 11:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Gallup, NM
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N9130ACessna 170A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900223002789A
- Case key
- 17896
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
Improper operation of the engine during preflight preparation, which resulted in overheating of the engine and damage to internal components.
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 aircraft hit a ditch during a forced landing after the engine seized during initial climb after takeoff. This was the first flight on a newly rebuilt engine. The engine had been run in on the ground and the pilot made three full power, static runs before takeoff. An FAA inspector examined the engine after the accident. He said the spark plugs from cylinders number 1, 3, & 5 showed evidence of having run with a lean mixture. The number 3 & 5 cylinders were scuffed and metal from the pistons had transferred to the cylinder walls.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9130A
- Reported as
- Cessna 170A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18889
- Airframe hours
- 4,475
- Engine
- Continental C-145, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Frank D. Scott
- Registered owner
- Frank Scott
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 23, 1990
- Departed
- GUP
- Destination
- GUP
- Airport
- GUP · Gallup, runway 6, 6,300 × 100 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
- 70
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 18,000 total · 400 in this make and model · 17,000 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 14 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GUP
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 N9130A · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.