- Date
- November 26, 1991, 10:55 local (18:55 UTC)
- Place
- Saipan, Sark
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N733PBCessna 172M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 23, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911126053539A
- Case key
- 27508
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
A loss of engine power due to carburetor icing and the failure of the pilot to correctly use carburetor heat.
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
According to the operator, the 100 hour student pilot was practicing airwork in preparation for his private pilot flight test which was scheduled for the following day. The operator said the pilot told them he was practicing slow flight maneuvers and the engine faltered when he added power to exit the maneuver. The pilot first decided to land on a nearby golf course, however, he observed many people on the fairways and elected to land on nearby beach. The aircraft collided with rocks and the ground during the landing flare. The official Saipan weather observation for the accident time lists a temperature of 80 degrees and a dew point of 74 degrees. Examination of the carburetor icing probability chart reveals that the temperature and dew point are in an area defined as 'serious icing glide power.'
Aircraft
- Registration
- N733PB
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17218433
- Airframe hours
- 4,759
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Pacific Island Aviation
- Registered owner
- Pacific Island Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 14, 1991 · 32 hours before
- Departed
- GSN · Saipan, OF
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
- 40
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 75 total · 68 in this make and model · 11 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 20 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GSN, 10 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.