- Date
- February 17, 1991, 08:55 local (15:55 UTC)
- Place
- Bullhead City, CA
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8551BCessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 23, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910217002589A
- Case key
- 26979
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 poor in-flight planning and decision and physical impairment from fatigue; he also failed to maintain flying speed. The lineman's failure to secure the access door and the pilot's impairment due to consumption of alcohol were factors in the accident.
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 pilot arrived at the Bullhead City arpt on the evening preceding the accident. Rooms were not available and the pilot was unable to get any sleep before departing on the accident flt. During that evening and early morning the pilot consumed 2 beers and 2 mixed drinks. He consumed the last drink at about 0400 hours about 5 hours before the accident. The pilot arrived at the airport at about 0830 hours. The plt was unable to start the engine because of a dead battery. The FBO provided a jump start. The lineman failed to adequately secure the electrical access door and shortly after liftoff the access door opened and began to flap. Thinking that the door would come off and strike the windscreen the pilot reduced the engine power to execute a forced landing. He then elected to return to the arpt. During the turn the plt failed to maintain airspeed, stalled the airplane and crashed abt 500 yds north of the arpt.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8551B
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 36251
- Engine
- Continental O-360-A, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Bagdad Flying Club, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Bagdad Flying Club, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Destination
- GEU · Glendale, AZ
- Airport
- P06 · Bullhead Laughlin, runway 35, 4,648 × 60 ft, gravel
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
- 65
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,000 total · 50 in this make and model · 1,000 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- P06, 1 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.