Cessna 172 N1889Y

Summary

On 7 March 2018 at about 23:00 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N1889Y was involved in an accident near England, Arkansas, 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

7 March 2018 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

England, Arkansas, United States

Coordinates

34.4867, -91.8656

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N1889Y

Category

Airplane

Year built

1962

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

England → England

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA18CA160

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to detect water in the fuel system during the preflight inspection, which resulted in a loss of engine power during departure and a subsequent impact with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot reported that, during the preflight, he and the pilot-rated passenger, who was not a flight instructor, inspected the fuel sumps on each wing and the engine, "pulling [a] sample on each." He added that, during departure from the airstrip, after they became airborne for about 9 seconds, the engine rpm dropped to idle. The propeller was still rotating, but the airplane's engine was not producing power. Subsequently, the airplane landed in a cotton field, the nose landing gear sheared off, and the airplane came to rest nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the tail and fuselage. The student pilot reported that the airplane had gone through a pre-purchase inspection the previous week, and the airplane had accrued little time since the annual, which was 7 months before the accident flight. He added that it seemed like the airplane was starved for fuel. The Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported finding substantial water in the gascolator.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.