- Date
- January 28, 1993, 11:46 local (18:46 UTC)
- Place
- Durango, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N67492Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 25, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930128001089A
- Case key
- 18271
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
The NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
Power loss due to water contaminated fuel. A factor was: unsuitable terrain for a forced landing.
Analysis
The airplane, with an instructor and student pilot aboard, was full of fuel when they took off for an instructional flight. After 45 minutes, they turned back and when they were about 3 miles from the airport, the engine began to run rough and RPM dropped steadily from full power to a complete power loss. Attempts to restore power were unsuccessful. A forced landing was made in deep snow and the airplane nosed over. The engine was later functionally tested and it operated satisfactorily. The operator said the airplane had not flown recently and there had been a substantial snow fall. He suspected the fuel may have been contaminated with water.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N67492
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15281864
- Airframe hours
- 6,507
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C(M), 125 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Durango Air Service, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Durango Air Service, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 11, 1992 · 70 hours before
- Departed
- DRO
- Destination
- DRO
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
- 34
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,040 total · 390 in this make and model · 900 as pilot in command · 140 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 27 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
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 N67492 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.