Cessna 172B N172MT

Summary

On 6 December 1997 at about 19:09 local time, a Cessna 172B registered N172MT, operated by John Turner, was involved in an accident near Henderson, North Carolina, 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.

Date

6 December 1997 at 19:09

Classification

Accident

Location

Henderson, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Henderson/Oxford (HNZ)

Coordinates

36.3193, -78.4106

Aircraft

Cessna 172B

Registration

N172MT

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

John Turner

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hazleton → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL98LA020

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Two miles north of the destination airport, while cruising at 2500 feet, the pilot noticed that the engine rpm had dropped, followed by a total loss of engine power. Attempts to restore engine power failed. The pilot selected a forced landing area, and while maneuvering for the emergency landing, the right wing struck a tree and the airplane came to rest in a freshly plowed field. During the on-site phase of the wreckage examination, a substantial amount of fuel was discovered in the fuel tanks. No aircraft system malfunctions or component failures were noted during the on site examination and during the follow-up examination of the engine assembly. The pilot recalled that the outside air temperature at 2500 feet was 25 degrees. A review of weather data from the nearest reporting facility, 30 miles south of the accident site, reported a temperature of 40 degrees. Carburetor heat was last used about 45 minutes before the loss of engine power; the carburetor heat lever was in the cold position when the engine lost power. A review of weather data failed to disclosed conditions favorable for the formation of carburetor ice.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.