Cessna 120 N77032

Summary

On 21 April 2024 at about 22:45 local time, a Cessna 120 registered N77032 was involved in an accident near Talkeetna, Alaska, 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

21 April 2024 at 22:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Talkeetna, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Talkeetna Airport (TKA)

Coordinates

62.3180, -150.0952

Aircraft

Cessna 120

Registration

N77032

Category

Airplane

Year built

1946

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC24LA025

Nobody was injured.

A degraded ignition system, which resulted in a total loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was maintenance personnel’s inadequate inspection of the ignition system.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the engine rpm began to fluctuate just after takeoff, so he turned back to the airport and verified the fuel selector position. During the turn the engine lost all power and the pilot made a forced landing into snow-covered terrain short of the runway. The airplane’s landing gear dug into the snow, and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the airplane contained about half a tank of fuel. Fuel was present throughout the fuel system; no obstructions were observed in the gascolator fuel strainer or the in-line fuel screen in the carburetor. The P-lead connections into both the left and right magnetos were loose. The crankshaft was rotated and only one spark plug lead produced a spark. The magnetos were placed on a test bench and all but three of the leads produced a strong spark. The installed spark plugs were in worn-out condition. Five of the sparkplugs had excessive gaps between the ground electrode and the center electrode. Inspection of the ignition system and P lead connections should have occurred during the last annual inspection. It is likely that the degraded, poorly maintained ignition system resulted in the total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.