Cessna 170 N4292V

Summary

On 19 July 1997 at about 01:09 local time, a Cessna 170 registered N4292V, operated by Robert E. Stone, was involved in an accident near Graham, Washington, United States. 3 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 July 1997 at 01:09

Classification

Accident

Location

Graham, Washington, United States

Coordinates

47.0094, -122.2901

Aircraft

Cessna 170

Registration

N4292V

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Robert E. Stone

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cougar Mountain → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA97LA173

1 person had minor injuries.

Inadequate aircraft preflight by the pilot-in-command, and water contamination in the fuel resulting in a loss of engine power. A factor was a power transmission line in the forced landing area.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

During cruise flight, approximately 9 minutes after takeoff, the engine RPM dropped to 800 RPM without a throttle reduction, and would not recover despite the pilot's efforts at corrective action. The pilot made a forced landing over power lines into a soft field. The aircraft's right main landing gear collapsed during the forced landing. The pilot reported that there were 20 gallons of fuel on board at takeoff. On-site and follow-up examinations revealed that the aircraft's left wing fuel tank was empty, that the right wing tank contained 11 to 12 gallons of fuel which was contaminated with about 3 pints of water, and that water was also present in the carburetor. The pilot reported that his preflight actions included checking oil and performing a sump drain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.