Cessna 172 N8551B
17 February 1991 · Bullhead City, California, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 17 February 1991 at about 15:55 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N8551B, operated by Bagdad Flying Club, Inc., was involved in an accident near Bullhead City, California, United States. 3 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 15:55
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Bullhead City, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Bullhead Laughlin (P06)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172
- Registration
- N8551B
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Bagdad Flying Club, Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Glendale
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX91FA103
People
2 people were seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S POOR IN-FLIGHT PLANNING AND DECISION AND PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENT FROM FATIGUE; HE ALSO FAILED TO MAINTAIN FLYING SPEED. THE LINEMAN'S FAILURE TO SECURE THE ACCESS DOOR AND THE PILOT'S IMPAIRMENT DUE TO CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL WERE FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT ARRIVED AT THE BULLHEAD CITY ARPT ON THE EVENING PRECEDING THE ACCIDENT. ROOMS WERE NOT AVAILABLE AND THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO GET ANY SLEEP BEFORE DEPARTING ON THE ACCIDENT FLT. DURING THAT EVENING AND EARLY MORNING THE PILOT CONSUMED 2 BEERS AND 2 MIXED DRINKS. HE CONSUMED THE LAST DRINK AT ABOUT 0400 HOURS ABOUT 5 HOURS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT ARRIVED AT THE AIRPORT AT ABOUT 0830 HOURS. THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO START THE ENGINE BECAUSE OF A DEAD BATTERY. THE FBO PROVIDED A JUMP START. THE LINEMAN FAILED TO ADEQUATELY SECURE THE ELECTRICAL ACCESS DOOR AND SHORTLY AFTER LIFTOFF THE ACCESS DOOR OPENED AND BEGAN TO FLAP. THINKING THAT THE DOOR WOULD COME OFF AND STRIKE THE WINDSCREEN THE PILOT REDUCED THE ENGINE POWER TO EXECUTE A FORCED LANDING. HE THEN ELECTED TO RETURN TO THE ARPT. DURING THE TURN THE PLT FAILED TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED, STALLED THE AIRPLANE AND CRASHED ABT 500 YDS NORTH OF THE ARPT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 172 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Apr 1991 | Cessna 172P | College Park, Maryland, United States | Civil Air Patrol, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 25 Apr 1991 | Cessna 172 | Detroit, Michigan, United States | Eximous Flying Club, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1991 | Cessna 172N | Napa, California, United States | Bridgeford Flying SVC. | No injuries | - |
| 9 Apr 1991 | Cessna 172H | Morehead, Kentucky, United States | Roger Wend | Minor injuries | - |
| 5 Apr 1991 | Cessna 172A | Hood River, Oregon, United States | Paul J. Welp | No injuries | - |
| 31 Mar 1991 | Cessna 172M | Ogden, Utah, United States | Alta Aircraft | No injuries | - |
All 12,209 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jul 1991 | Cessna C-172P | Hesperia, California, United States | South Bay Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1991 | Beechcraft 76 | Sacramento, California, United States | Altair Aviation Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 1991 | Ayres S2R | Visalia, California, United States | Gilbert Aviation Industries | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 1991 | Cessna 421C | Auburn, California, United States | Edward Mueller | No injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 1991 | Champion 7GCBC | Lake Elsinore, California, United States | Halbeisen, John F | Fatal | 2 |
| 2 Aug 1991 | Mooney M20E | Riverside, California, United States | Todd Dreyer | Minor injuries | - |