- Date
- September 28, 1994, 12:36 local (17:36 UTC)
- Place
- Poteau, OK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7617XCessna 172B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 26, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940928032149A
- Case key
- 19175
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 loss of engine power due to the pilot's delayed use of carburetor heat and the resultant carburetor icing. Factors were the weather condition and the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
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 flight was at cruise power at 3,000 feet MSL for 1.1 hours when a power loss occurred. The pilot pushed the mixture in and applied carburetor heat. Power was not restored to the engine. A forced landing was made to a field. During the landing roll in the rough and uneven terrain, the airplane hit fences and posts. Temperature was 80 degrees fahrenheit and dew point was 60 degrees fahrenheit. The icing probability chart indicates moderate icing at cruise power.
Factual narrative
On September 28, 1994, at 1236 central daylight time, a Cessna 172B, N7617X, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Poteau, Oklahoma. The airplane was flown by a private pilot on a local personal flight. No flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The pilot was uninjured.
According to the enclosed Pilot/Operator report, the flight had been airborne for 1.1 hours at 3,000 feet MSL. The engine "sputtered" and the pilot applied mixture and carburetor heat. The fuel selector was switched from one tank to the other. When the airplane had descended to 1,200 feet MSL, the pilot notified Ft. Smith Approach Control that he was not able to get the engine restarted and was going to land the airplane in a field. During the landing roll the airplane went through two fences and the wings struck fence posts. Damage occurred to the left wing spar and right wing strut.
Local authorities reported the airplane landed in an uneven pasture. During the landing roll, the airplane traveled 168 feet before hitting the first fence and an additional 198 feet before coming to rest.
Weather was reported by the pilot as 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Dew point in the area was reported by FSS as 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Carburetor moderate icing conditions at cruise power are favorable according to the enclosed chart.
The owner reported fuel in the tanks during the recovery of the wreckage. No mechanical discrepancies were reported by the owner.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7617X
- Reported as
- Cessna 172B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17248117
- Engine
- Continental O-300-D, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Cook, Joseph W.
- Registered owner
- Cook Joe P.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 22, 1994 · 105 hours before
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
- 37
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 100 total · 49 in this make and model · 75 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.