Cessna 120 N89970
19 July 1992 · Reserve, Louisiana, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 19 July 1992 at about 23:00 local time, a Cessna 120 registered N89970, operated by Hicks, Timothy J., was involved in an accident near Reserve, Louisiana, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 23:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Reserve, Louisiana, United States
- Nearest airport
- St. John (0LA4)
- Coordinates
- 30.0592, -90.6404
- Aircraft
- Cessna 120
- Registration
- N89970
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Hicks, Timothy J.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW92LA181
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER DUE TO THE VALVE FAILURE. A FACTOR WAS THE LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN FOR THE FORCED LANDING.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT EXPERIENCED A COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE AFTER TAKEOFF WHILE PASSING THROUGH 200 FEET AGL. THE AIRPLANE SUBSEQUENTLY LANDED IN A ROUGH OPEN FIELD AS THERE WAS NO OTHER SUITABLE TERRAIN. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE NO. 1 CYLINDER EXHAUST VALVE HAD SEPARATED AND THE STEM WAS INGESTED INTO THE ENGINE. THE VALVE HEAD WAS FOUND IMBEDDED IN THE PISTON HEAD. DUE TO THE LEVEL OF DAMAGE SUSTAINED BY THE VALVE PARTS, THE EXACT FAILURE MODE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 120 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 May 1992 | Cessna 120 | Wilmington, North Carolina, United States | Pardee, Douglas L. | Serious injuries | - |
| 6 Jun 1992 | Cessna 120 | Elk River, Minnesota, United States | Thompson, Bruce D. | No injuries | - |
| 21 Jan 1992 | Cessna 120 | Sonoma, California, United States | Andrew J. Bowe, JR | No injuries | - |
| 7 Aug 1992 | Cessna 120 | Maple, Wisconsin, United States | Day, Daniel M. & Patrick K. | Fatal | 2 |
| 16 Feb 1993 | Cessna 120 | Battleground, Washington, United States | Wills, Charles R. | Serious injuries | - |
| 16 Jun 1991 | Cessna 120 | Spirit Lake, Iowa, United States | Fairchild, Timothy J. | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Mar 1992 | Grumman G-164B | Roanoke, Louisiana, United States | Lewis Flying Service | No injuries | - |
| 14 Apr 1992 | Grumman G-164A | Welsh, Louisiana, United States | Riceland Aviation, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 14 May 1992 | Schweizer G-164D | Welsh, Louisiana, United States | Lyon Flying Service, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 20 May 1992 | Cessna 182Q | Port Sulphur, Louisiana, United States | MGM Aircraft, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 15 May 1992 | Grumman G-164A | Kinder, Louisiana, United States | O'brien Flying Service, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 30 May 1992 | Grumman G-164B | Mamou, Louisiana, United States | Central Farmer's Coop | No injuries | - |