- Date
- August 18, 1989, 13:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Gardner, MA
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N65105Cessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890818030519A
- Case key
- 36465
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 worn throttle arm.
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 made a normal run-up before taking off & noted no problems. During the initial climb after lift-off, the engine began to lose power. The pilot made an emergency landing & the aircraft was damaged. Subsequent examination of the airplane revealed that the throttle arm was worn, which allowed the throttle cable to slip without throttle movement.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N65105
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17275685
- Airframe hours
- 3,057
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Peter Erik Thomassen
- Registered owner
- Fitchburg Colonial Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 15, 1989 · 45 hours before
- Destination
- FIT · Fitchburg, MA
- Airport
- GDM · Gardner, runway 18, 3,000 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 21
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 700 total · 300 in this make and model · 565 as pilot in command · 240 in the last 90 days · 80 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °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.