- Date
- July 6, 1986, 14:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Atwater, CA
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7108MCessna 175
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 25205
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
A Cessna 175 collided with a tree after a total loss of power during a VFR x-country flt. The plt indicated he experienced an eng failure at 2,000 ft MSL, while on descent, aprx 15 mi from his dest. He reported that the eng began to vibrate slightly. The vibrations rapidly became worse, then the eng stopped suddenly, and smoke entered the cockpit. The plt was forced to land and selected an open field bounded by an almond orchard. While on final apch, the left wing dipped and struck an almond tree causing the acft to land short. The acft came to rest on the edge of an open field where it nosed over in a ditch. The eng oil syst had been modified with plumbing that added a line which extended the drain from the drain plug to below the eng cowling. The line was plugged at the cowling end and there was no petcock to restrict the oil from draining when the plug was removed. There was a leak at one of the fitting welds which allowed the eng oil to flow out. No oil was found in the eng oil syst when it was examined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7108M
- Reported as
- Cessna 175
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 55408
- Airframe hours
- 2,428
- Engine
- Continental GO-300-A, 175 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Milford Edwards
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 20, 1985 · 23 hours before
- Departed
- VIS · Visalia, CA
- Destination
- 015 · Turlock, CA
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
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 114 total · 64 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MER, 5 nm away