- Date
- February 16, 1992, 19:15 local (Feb 17, 1992, 01:15 UTC)
- Place
- Conroe, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N738ECCessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report June 11, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920216040189A
- Case key
- 18444
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 pilot's inadequate preflight which resulted in water in the fuel system. A factor was the night lighting condition.
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 airplane was in cruise flight at night when it experienced an inflight total loss of power. The pilot executed a forced landing to a highway. During the landing roll the airplane impacted a tree adjacent the curved roadway. The FAA coordinator found water in the fuel system. The pilot stated the engine ran rough several times that day during the cross country flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N738EC
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17269911
- Airframe hours
- 3,063
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Powell, Kenneth, doing business as Omega Helicopters
- Registered owner
- Powell, Kenneth
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 2, 1991 · 129 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Pineland, TX
- Destination
- DWH · Spring, TX
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,385 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 2,132 as pilot in command · 93 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- IAH, 21 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.