- Date
- September 22, 1991, 19:15 local (Sep 23, 1991, 02:15 UTC)
- Place
- Snohomish, WA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3314TCessna 177
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report May 5, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910922042109A
- Case key
- 41546
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 separation of the mixture control cable (core) resulting from separation of the adel clamp assembly and improper adjustment by maintenance personnel.
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 cruise a partial power loss occurred and the pilot, unable to reach a suitable airport, executed a forced landing. Post crash examination revealed that the mixture control cable core had separated at the mixture control arm bolt adjacent to the carburetor. Additionally, the adel clamp assembly retaining the mixture control cable near the mixture control arm was observed to be separated. The separated cable core was due to reverse bending fatigue cracking consistent with excessive vibratory loads applied to the cable as a result of the separated adel clamp assembly. The separated adel clamp was due to excessive twisting loads applied to the clamp. During the forced landing rollout, which was executed on rough terrain, the nose wheel assembly collapsed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3314T
- Reported as
- Cessna 177
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17700614
- Airframe hours
- 3,047
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Sigmet Inc.
- Registered owner
- Sigmet Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · March 22, 1991 · 303 hours before
- Departed
- TIW · Tacoma, WA
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
- 58
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 756 total · 220 in this make and model · 593 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 320° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PAE, 7 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.