Cessna 172N N738DF

Summary

On 8 October 1995 at about 17:00 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N738DF, operated by Ellington Field Aero Club, was involved in an accident near Crockett, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 October 1995 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Crockett, Texas, United States

Coordinates

31.3103, -95.4497

Aircraft

Cessna 172N

Registration

N738DF

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Ellington Field Aero Club

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Houston → Tyler

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW96LA010

2 people had minor injuries.

failure of both magnetos to operate properly due to inadequate maintenance by other maintenance personnel. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain available for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, he was en route to Tyler, Texas, when the engine lost power. He reported activating carburetor heat, moving fuel selector from both to 'left or right', and trying to restart the engine. The engine did not start and he proceeded to make a forced landing. Upon touch down in a soft field the airplane nosed over coming to rest in the inverted position. Attempts to start the engine during a test run were not successful. Examination of the magnetos revealed that the contacts in both magnetos were not opening when the rotor was turned. The contacts were adjusted and the internal timing per manufactures maintenance manual was set. After reinstallation of the magnetos, the engine started and operated normally.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.