- Date
- March 14, 1993, 11:29 local (18:29 UTC)
- Place
- Gila Bend, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4070FCessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 15, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930314005029A
- Case key
- 27945
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 failure of maintenance personnel to perform mandatory service bulletins during the annual inspection 20 flying hours prior to the accident which resulted in the carburetor's primary venturi becoming loose.
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 being flown on a local sightseeing flight. The pilot said he was at about 2500 feet at cruise RPM. After the airplane crossed the dam, the RPM dropped to idle and the engine began to run rough. The pilot selected a dirt road as a potential landing site. As he turned final, the engine regained partial power. The pilot elected to perform a go around, at which time the engine again lost power. The pilot elected to land on a roadway. During the final approach the left wing struck the ground first, causing the airplane to cartwheel. The investigation revealed the primary and main venturi was a two piece design and the primary venturi became loose, which caused the loss of engine power. Two service bulletin's were not performed which would have replaced the two piece design with a one piece venturi. The airplane received an annual inspection 3 months before the accident and had accrued 20 flight hours since the inspection.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4070F
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 36970
- Airframe hours
- 3,451
- Engine
- Continental O-300-A, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Juan C. Galban
- Registered owner
- Juan C. Galban
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 21, 1992 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- P10 · Chandler, AZ
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
- 31
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 465 total · 365 in this make and model · 426 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 9,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CGZ, 15 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.
Other investigations on N4070F · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.