- Date
- May 7, 1991, 11:35 local (15:35 UTC)
- Place
- Bunnell, FL
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N7270GCessna 172K
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910507014449A
- Case key
- 32863
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
Loss of control in flight due to a foreign object which restricted the movement of the elevator flight control.
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
After takeoff the CFI & student reported that they were unable to push the control column. The CFI reduced the throttle but the acft stalled, crashed in a lake & came to rest inverted. Post crash exam of the acft revealed that a screwdriver was located near the control tee. The control tee was found to be scratched. A similar event occurred while the CFI was aboard the acft before the accident flt but insp by a mechanic revealed no determination could be made as to the reason for the binding. Multiple attempts to cause binding of the elevator control were unsuccessful.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7270G
- Reported as
- Cessna 172K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17258970
- Airframe hours
- 1,371
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Seaplane Services, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Neidhardt, Alfred E.
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 28, 1991 · 95 hours before
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
- 39
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 2,416 total · 143 in this make and model · 2,135 as pilot in command · 120 in the last 90 days · 49 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.