- Date
- March 2, 1986, 12:19 local (17:19 UTC)
- Place
- New Smyrna, FL
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3870LCessna 172G
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860302005219A
- Case key
- 31583
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
The flt had been cruising on the right fuel tank. During the descent, carb heat and rich mixture was selected. The eng quit and the plt selected both fuel tanks. Eng pwr was restored briefly during the descent, but not enough to sustain flt. A forced landing was performed on a railroad bed. Post accident inspection failed to disclose any mechanical failure/malfunction which would have resulted in the pwr loss.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3870L
- Reported as
- Cessna 172G
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17254039
- Airframe hours
- 5,178
- Engine
- Continental O-300, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Lawrence Mercer
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 1985 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- OPF · Opa Locka, FL
- Destination
- 34J · New Smyrna, FL
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
- 32
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,150 total · 179 in this make and model · 958 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DAB, 17 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.