- Date
- February 25, 1989, 17:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Homestead, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N734MCCessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890225002649I
- Case key
- 32328
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
Fuel starvation caused by a sticking needle valve which was softened by contact with automotive fuel previously used to operate the engine.
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
While climbing to cruise the plt reported the eng lost power then quit. Attempts to restart were unsuccessful. After touchdown during the forced landing, the acft nosed over. After a temporary fuel supply was connected to the eng, attempts to run it were unsuccessful without pumping the throttle. The carburetor was removed & disassembly revealed a sticking needle valve. After reassembly & installation, the eng operated normally. Prior to the acft purchase by the flight school, the engine had been operated using automotive fuel.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N734MC
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17268952
- Airframe hours
- 1,671
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Savco Flying Co.
- Registered owner
- Airship Ventures Ltd.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 21, 1989 · 16 hours before
- Destination
- X01 · Everglades City, 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
- 22
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 213 total · 19 in this make and model · 154 as pilot in command · 70 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TMB, 18 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.