Cessna 120 N89885
19 December 1994 · Torrance, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 19 December 1994 at about 23:53 local time, a Cessna 120 registered N89885, operated by William R. Wood, was involved in an accident near Torrance, California, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 23:53
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Torrance, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Torrance Municipal (TOA)
- Coordinates
- 33.7993, -118.3507
- Aircraft
- Cessna 120
- Registration
- N89885
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- William R. Wood
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX95LA054
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
A blockage in the carburetor heat air duct which limited the effectiveness of the system's ability to prevent the formation of carburetor ice and resulted in a loss of power. A factor in the accident was the soft nature of the recently plowed ground in the runway overrun area.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT SAID HE WAS PERFORMING TOUCH-AND-GO PATTERN OPERATIONS AND THE ENGINE LOST POWER SHORTLY AFTER LIFT-OFF ON RUNWAY 29R. THE PILOT LANDED ON THE RUNWAY, BUT HAD INSUFFICIENT PAVEMENT REMAINING TO STOP THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT OVERRAN THE END OF THE RUNWAY AND NOSED OVER WHEN SOFT, RECENTLY PLOWED DIRT WAS ENCOUNTERED. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE EXAMINED THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND FOUND THE DUCT HOSE FROM THE HEAT BOX TO THE CARBURETOR CRIMPED, BLOCKING HOT AIR FLOW TO THE CARBURETOR. THE ENGINE WAS EXAMINED WITH NO DISCREPANCIES NOTED. THE PILOT SUSPECTED CARBURETOR ICE AS THE CAUSE OF THE ENGINE POWER LOSS. THE TEMPERATURE AND DEW POINT AT THE AIRPORT WERE 58 AND 51 DEGREES, RESPECTIVELY. REVIEW OF A CARBURETOR ICING PROBABILITY CHART REVEALED THAT THE NOTED TEMPERATURES WERE WITHIN AN AREA OF THE CHART ANNOTATED 'SERIOUS ICING -- CRUISE OR CLIMB POWER.'
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 120 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Aug 1994 | Cessna 120 | Manitowoc, Wisconsin, United States | Magnus Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 12 Feb 1994 | Cessna 120 | Chittenango, New York, United States | Douglas G. Bombard | Serious injuries | - |
| 11 May 1994 | Cessna 120 | Goodyear, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Feb 1993 | Cessna 120 | Battleground, Washington, United States | Wills, Charles R. | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 Mar 1995 | Cessna 120 | Skaneateles, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 May 1993 | Cessna 120 | Crawford, Nebraska, United States | Ronald Brodowicz/Vera Virchow | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Sep 1994 | Piper PA-28R-201 | Fort Bragg, California, United States | Sundance Flying Club | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 May 1994 | Schweizer G-164B | Yuba City, California, United States | Sutter Butte Dusters, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 3 Sep 1994 | Cessna T210L | Kettleman City, California, United States | Willie Alves Rodrigues | No injuries | - |
| 13 May 1994 | Maule M-5-235C | Columbia, California, United States | White, James L. | No injuries | - |
| 19 May 1994 | Cessna 150L | Rio Linda, California, United States | Hinckley, Thomas, F. | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Sep 1994 | Robinson R-22 | Chico, California, United States | Sierra Aviation | No injuries | - |