- Date
- June 26, 1992, 09:50 local (15:50 UTC)
- Place
- Mckinnon, WY
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6089ACessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920626025629A
- Case key
- 42842
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
Water in the aircraft fuel system which was not purged as a result of the pilot in command's inadequate preflight. Factors contributing to the accident were: trees, a fence and the uneven terrain condition during the landing and rollout.
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
Shortly after departure RPM began dropping/fluctuating and the pilot attempted to reach a nearby highway to execute a forced landing. During the landing he collided with the tops of several small trees and while rolling out over uneven terrain the aircraft passed through a fence and the nose landing gear strut separated from the aircraft. Post crash examination of the aircraft revealed a substantial amount of water in the fuel drained from the gascolator as well as water in the pilot's above ground auto gas storage tank. Standard Cessna 172 preflight procedures call for the draining of fuel from the fuel strainer to check for presence of water and sediment.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6089A
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28689
- Engine
- Unknown UNKNOWN, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Mitchell, Darrell A.
- Registered owner
- Mitchell, Darrell A.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 5, 1989
- Departed
- 40U · Manila, UT
- Destination
- 40U
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
- 56
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Expired
- Seat
- Left
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RKS, 44 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.