- Date
- May 26, 1990, 15:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Leona, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1650VCessna 172XP
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 4, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900526017459A
- Case key
- 23132
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
Engine power loss due to a totally obstructed air intake manifold. Contributing to the accident was the unsuitable terrain in which the forced landing had to be performed.
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
During cruise flight, the aircraft engine abruptly lost complete power due to the primary and alternate air inlets becoming blocked by a foreign object, a rat's nest. The pilot executed a forced landing to the only suitable area available. The aircraft touched down without incident; however, during the landing roll, the aircraft struck three fences. The blockage occurred when the air inlet spring failed and allowed the rat's nest to enter the main air inlet throat resulting in air starvation to the engine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1650V
- Reported as
- Cessna 172XP
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- R1722207
- Engine
- Continental IO-360-K, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James G. Bergman
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- OOR · Livingston, TX
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
- 46
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 2,100 total · 1,030 in this make and model · 2,074 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 97 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- LFK, 40 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.