Cessna 120 N2942N

Summary

On 6 November 2015 at about 18:05 local time, a Cessna 120 registered N2942N, operated by Graham Aviation LLC, was involved in an accident near Gonzales, Louisiana, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 November 2015 at 18:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Gonzales, Louisiana, United States

Nearest airport

Louisiana Regional Airport (L38)

Coordinates

30.2406, -90.9153

Aircraft

Cessna 120

Registration

N2942N

Category

Airplane

Year built

1947

Engines

1

Operator

Graham Aviation LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Gonzales → Gonzales

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN16LA033

1 person was seriously injured.

Maintenance personnel’s improper installation of the carburetor during recent maintenance, including the omission of a required cotter pin, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the airplane was on final approach to the airport when the engine started to lose power. He applied carburetor heat and switched fuel tanks, but engine power was not restored, so he made a forced landing to a field near the airport. An examination of the wreckage found that the castellated nut that connects the throttle arm to the carburetor had backed off, which allowed the engine to go to idle, and that the nut's associated cotter pin was missing. The pilot reported that the carburetor had been replaced the day before the accident flight. The accident is consistent with the throttle arm becoming disengaged from the carburetor as a result of a missing cotter pin and the accompanying nut subsequently backing off.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.