Cessna 172H N1637F

Summary

On 13 July 1996 at about 22:06 local time, a Cessna 172H registered N1637F was involved in an accident near Hickory, North Carolina, 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.

Date

13 July 1996 at 22:06

Classification

Accident

Location

Hickory, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Hickory (HKY)

Coordinates

35.7363, -81.3600

Aircraft

Cessna 172H

Registration

N1637F

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Frederick → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL96LA105

Nobody was injured.

Engine stoppage for undetermined reasons. A factor was the terrain furrows.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During cruise flight the pilot noted a reduction in engine speed. He applied carburetor heat. The engine ran roughly a few minutes, then returned to the previous speed. The pilot indicated that the trip was taking longer than expected because of headwinds. At the destination he requested a practice instrument landing system approach. During the approach the engine sputtered. The pilot reported that at that time the fuel gauges read empty and 1/4, left and right, respectively. The engine subsequently quit and a forced landing was made to a field. The airplane nosed over after the nose wheel struck a furrow. The pilot also stated that he thought there could be a fuel problem because he previously had trouble with the right fuel gauge, and because of the length of this trip. Weather conditions were conducive to serious carburetor icing at glide power. During a post accident examination of the airplane, only residual fuel was found in the fuel system. However, the airplane was inverted about ten hours prior to its examination, and blue staining was noted on the wings around the fuel vents. Once the airplane was righted and fuel added to the fuel system, the engine operated.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.