# NTSB ERA22LA413: Cessna 172, N388TC, Chattanooga, TN, September 13, 2022 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: September 13, 2022, 11:32 local (15:32 UTC) - Place: Chattanooga, TN · airport property - Coordinates: 35.022064, -85.2084 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.0221&lon=-85.2084&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Initial climb: Fuel starvation](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/191) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Eastern Region Aviation - Parties: FAA/FSDO - SAIBs cited in the narratives: [SAIB CE-09-35](https://openairdocs.org/saib/CE-09-35) (OpenAirDocs) - NTSB case key (mKey): 105927 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA22LA413 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/105927/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=105927 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA22LA413 ## Probable cause A total loss of engine power due to of carburetor ice. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to apply carburetor heat. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Engine (reciprocating)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058500): Aircraft › Aircraft power plant · Inoperative (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 172, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058500/cases.md?model=2072402), [All aircraft, 497 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058500/cases.md) - [Temp/humidity/pressure: conducive to carburetor icing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03031030): Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena · Effect on equipment; cases with it: [Cessna 172, 4 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03031030/cases.md?model=2072402), [All aircraft, 435 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03031030/cases.md) - [Use of equip/info: use of equip/system](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063015): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 172, 7 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063015/cases.md?model=2072402), [All aircraft, 1,391 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063015/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Emergency descent: Off-field or emergency landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440); cases with it: [Cessna 172, 10 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md?model=2072402), [All aircraft, 3,365 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md) - [Initial climb: Fuel starvation](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/191) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 172, 5 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/191/sequence.md?model=2072402), [All aircraft, 733 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/191/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot reported that the right landing gear contacted an unseen object while landing on an unimproved surface, which resulted in the tundra tire losing air pressure. After aborting the landing, he flew to an airport where he declared an emergency and advised air traffic control that he intended to land in the grass adjacent to the runway. The pilot made two low passes over a grassy area and, during climb-out from the second low pass, the engine lost all power. The pilot performed a forced landing to uneven terrain outside the airport fence, during which the airplane sustained substantial damage. A postaccident examination and engine test run did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction. Weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive for serious icing at glide power. The pilot did not report using carburetor heat. It is likely that during multiple low passes prior to landing that carburetor ice accumulated, which resulted in a loss of engine power. ## Factual narrative On September 13, 2022, about 1132 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172, N388TC, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Chattanooga, Tennessee. The airline transport pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, during a previous off-airport landing on an unimproved surface, the right tire impacted an object and was losing air pressure. He ultimately elected to land at Lovell Field Airport (CHA), Chattanooga, Tennessee. He declared an emergency with air traffic control and advised them he intended to make multiple low passes over a grass area adjacent to runway 20 to determine the best touchdown point. He made two low passes over the area he selected, initiating a go-around after the second low pass. During climbout, with the airplane about 350 ft above ground level and at 65 mph, the engine lost power. Engine power was briefly restored before being lost again. The airplane impacted uneven terrain outside the airport fence. According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, an examination of the airplane revealed that the wings and forward fuselage sustained substantial damage. Fuel was drained from the wings, 7 gallons of fuel was drained from the left wing, 1/2 gallon was drained from the right wing. The carburetor contained 5 ounces of fuel. All fuel drained was free of contaminants. A postaccident examination and engine test run did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction. According to the carburetor ice probability chart, the atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to serious icing at glide power. FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (CE-09-35) – Carburetor Icing Prevention, stated that: …pilots should be aware that carburetor icing doesn't just occur in freezing conditions, it can occur at temperatures well above freezing temperatures when there is visible moisture or high humidity. Icing can occur in the carburetor at temperatures above freezing because vaporization of fuel, combined with the expansion of air as it flows through the carburetor, (Venturi Effect) causes sudden cooling, sometimes by a significant amount within a fraction of a second. Carburetor ice can be detected by a drop in rpm in fixed pitch propeller airplanes and a drop in manifold pressure in constant speed propeller airplanes. In both types, usually there will be a roughness in engine operation. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N388TC](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N388TC), registered now, S/N 29601, built 1956 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 172 - Registry model: [Cessna 172](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172) (registry code 2072402) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Franklin 6ACT298 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/franklin-6act298-series) (registry code 27017, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 29601 - Year built: 1956 - Airframe hours: 3489 - Engines: Franklin 6A-335B1 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, September 28, 2021 - Destination: Same as departure - Airport: CHA, Lovell Fld - Equipment: ADS-B, Stall warning system ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 48; injuries: none; flight instructor, airline transport; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, without waivers/limitations; last flight review May 15, 2022; seat: left; restraint: 4-point; flight hours: 5,407.1 total, 837.1 in this make and model, 2,186.6 as pilot in command, 126.5 in the last 90 days, 27.3 in the last 30 days, 2.2 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 77 °F, dew point 52 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: CHA, 1 nm away - METAR: KCHA 131653Z VRB05KT 10SM CLR 25/11 A3000 RMK AO2 SLP152 T02500111 $ ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20220913015779A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20220913015779A), Sep 13, 2022: Cessna 172, Chattanooga, TN, Substantial damage. PIC was evaluating landing options with a flat bush tire for a possible landing on grass adjacent to runway 20. After a light touchdown on the grass, the PIC… ## Docket (4 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 5, 2023, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=105927. 389 MB in all. - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 8 pages, 3.3 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15132939&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=NTSB%206120_Redacted-Rel.pdf - FAA inspector's statement (item 2, PDF, 2 pages, 118 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15709197&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=FAA%20Inspector%20Statement-Rel.pdf - Maintenance records (item 3, PDF, 9 pages, 383 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15598770&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Maintenance%20records_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Photos (item 4, PDF, 7 pages, 2.4 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15133171&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Photos-Rel.pdf From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.