Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 172M near Modesto, CA — 2012-11-06

Final reportWPR13LA035
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Date
2012-11-06
Location
Modesto, CA, USA
Airport
MOD
Aircraft
CESSNA 172M
Registration
N21391
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Climb

Probable cause

Failure of the throttle control cable during maneuvering flight, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power.

NTSB narrative

During a photography mission, the pilot applied full engine power, and the engine speed dropped to idle. After attempting a series of troubleshooting steps, the engine did not respond, and the pilot performed a forced landing into a field. The airplane landed hard and nosed over. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the outer jacket of the throttle control cable had fragmented at the carburetor attach point, exposing the inner cable. Subsequent throttle control movement resulted in the cable flexing out of the jacket, rather than moving the throttle control arm at the carburetor. No life limit existed for the cable, which was most likely installed at the time of airframe manufacture, 38 years prior to the accident. Further examination of the engine revealed no additional evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked throttle cable condition before flight.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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