Cessna 172 N7033Q

Summary

On 31 March 2019 at about 23:30 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N7033Q, operated by Placerville Aviation, was involved in an accident near Placerville, California, United States. One person was 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

31 March 2019 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Placerville, California, United States

Nearest airport

Placerville (PVF)

Coordinates

38.7281, -120.7453

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N7033Q

Category

Airplane

Year built

1971

Engines

1

Operator

Placerville Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Placerville → Placerville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR19LA102

Nobody was injured.

The partial loss of engine power due to an improperly maintained carburetor.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the climb after takeoff the engine lost partial power. The pilot performed troubleshooting steps and initiated a return to the airport. The airplane was not able to maintain altitude and landed in trees about 300 ft short of the approach end of the runway. Postaccident examination revealed sooting signatures on the spark plug electrodes and inner surfaces of the exhaust pipe, indicating an excessively rich fuel-to-air mixture. Examination of the carburetor revealed multiple maintenance-related discrepancies, including an incorrectly adjusted float and a loose carburetor bowl. The discrepancies likely resulted in mixture irregularities and a loss of engine power. Maintenance instructions and a series of service bulletins had been published by the carburetor manufacturer to address these issues. The discrepancies appeared to have been present for a while and were likely present at the time of the last annual inspection. The carburetor had not been overhauled or serviced in at least 19 years even though the manufacturer recommended overhaul at 10-year intervals.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.