- Date
- October 4, 1997, 09:50 local (13:50 UTC)
- Place
- Mineral Wells, WV
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N76898Cessna 120
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 21, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19971004044659A
- Case key
- 39482
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
A loss of engine power to a blockage in the carburetor resulting in fuel starvation.
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
During climb-out from a go-around, at about 125 feet, the engine began to sputter. The pilot pulled out carburetor heat, and then pushed it in. The engine lost power and the pilot headed for a nearby field. On final approach the airplane's right wing tip struck a power line, cartwheeling the airplane on to the ground. The fuel lines, fuel vents, magnetos, timing, compression, valve continuity, spark plugs, induction system, and other miscellaneous items were examined. The fuel inlet screen in the carburetor was found broken and deformed. Small pieces of this fuel screen were found in the float bowl and the main jet.
Factual narrative
On October 4, 1997, at 0950 Eastern Daylight Time, a Cessna 120, N76898, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near the Scott Field Airport, Mineral Wells, West Virginia. The certificated private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that originated at Scott Field, about 0925. No flight plan had been filed for the flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the pilot, when he arrived at the airport, he changed the oil in the airplane's engine, and then departed runway 04 on a local flight. When he returned after about a 25 minute flight, he flew an approach to runway 04. While on final approach, the pilot decided that the approach was high and added power to go-around. During the climb out, at about 125 feet, the engine began to sputter. The pilot pulled out the carburetor heat control, and then pushed it back in. The engine stopped. The pilot performed a forced landing to a nearby field, but on approach the right wing tip contacted a power line, cartwheeled to the ground.
According to the written report of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector who examined the wreckage:
"Fuel lines, fuel vents, magnetos, timing, compression, valve continuity, spark plugs, induction system and other miscellaneous items were examined. The only noteworthy find was that the fuel inlet screen in the carburetor was found broken and deformed. Small pieces of this fuel screen were found in the float bowl and the main jet. It appears that this blockage in the carburetor main jet caused an interruption in the fuel to the engine."
The pilot had accumulated approximately 306 total flight hours, of which 201 hours were in make and model.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N76898
- Reported as
- Cessna 120
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 11338
- Airframe hours
- 1,553
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Phillip K. Cain
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 19, 1996 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- 47I
- Airport
- 47I · Scott Field Airport, runway 4, 2,020 × 100 ft, grass/turf
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
- 48
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 306 total · 200 in this make and model · 306 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.