- Date
- January 16, 1990, 15:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Danbury, CT
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N9093HCessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 5, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900116000959A
- Case key
- 36602
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
Improper maintenance, inadequate surveillance by the company/operator, and inadequate preflight by the pilot, which resulted in a fire during an attempted engine start. A factor related to the accident was: the unsecured fuel line.
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 Cessna 172 was involved in a carburetor fire on 1/13/90 & taken to a hangar where the air cleaner & carburetor were removed. The fuel line was not capped & the lower cowling was reattached with only two screws holding it. No placard was placed in the cockpit nor was the key made unavailable for rental. The plane was returned to the line for parking. Three days later, a pilot came to the airport, asked the attendant for the key & proceeded to the plane. He said he made a preflight 'using the manual.' He then entered the cockpit & attempted to start the engine. However, a fire erupted & the plt exited the airplane through the fire, receiving burns.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9093H
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17265939
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Reliant Pilot Training Center
- Registered owner
- John R. Stanton
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Airport
- DXR · Danbury
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
- 61
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 425 total · 60 in this make and model · 385 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DXR
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.