- Date
- June 18, 1989, 13:18 local (17:18 UTC)
- Place
- Niagara Falls, NY
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N52HRCessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 29, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890618016009A
- Case key
- 36424
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
Engine failure due to oil starvation and collision with terrain during the forced landing. The oil starvation was caused by the oil leaking out of the drain because maintenance personnel failed to install the drain plug.
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 aircraft engine started to run rough during a pleasure flight over Niagara Falls, NY, and the pilot landed in a wheat field short of the Niagara Falls airport. The nose wheel stuck in the soft field and the aircraft flipped over, but there were no injuries to the pilot or his three passengers. The oil drain plug was missing allowing the oil to drain out and cause the engine to seize. The engine had been replaced 6 flight hours before.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N52HR
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17269354
- Airframe hours
- 1,631
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Edward P. Oleksky
- Registered owner
- Art Schmidt
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 25, 1989 · 16 hours before
- Departed
- 1AG · Niagara Falls, NY
- Destination
- 9G3 · Akron, NY
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 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 119 total · 3 in this make and model · 67 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.