- Date
- February 25, 1989, 14:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- Unionville, IA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7662XCessna 172B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 11, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890225002659A
- Case key
- 34754
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 the engine due to carburetor ice. Contributing factors included carburetor icing conditions, improper use of the carburetor heat control by the pilot, and the improperly rigged carburetor air box which resulted in reduced carburetor heating capability.
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 pilot said that while cruising to his destination apt, the engine quit suddenly. Emergency procedures failed to rectify the power loss and an emergency landing was attempted on a snow covered farm field. A collision with a ditch tore off the nose gear and the aircraft continued to slide about 300 feet, coming to stop on it's nose. Post accident investigation revealed the carb heat box to be improperly rigged and a seal missing from the flapper valve. Meteorological conditions at the time were conducive for carb icing according to icing probability charts. The mis-rigging of the carb heat box prevented full application of carb heat. After the engine quit the pilot attempted to restore power with carb heat but was unable.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7662X
- Reported as
- Cessna 172B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17248162
- Airframe hours
- 3,050
- Engine
- Continental O-300-D, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Morton, Dennis D.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 14, 1988 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- K27 · Ft. Madison, IA
- Destination
- K27 · Osceola, IA
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
- 41
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Military, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 11,475 total · 490 in this make and model · 3,360 as pilot in command · 105 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OTM, 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 N7662X · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.