Cessna 172N N733WJ
7 May 1997 · Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 7 May 1997 at about 01:30 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N733WJ, operated by James D. Hossler, was involved in an accident near Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States. 3 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 01:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N
- Registration
- N733WJ
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- James D. Hossler
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- St. Johns → El Paso
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW97LA180
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
The improper installation of the throttle arm castellated nut, which resulted in a partial loss of power. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that while in cruise flight the engine RPM decreased to 2,100. He pulled the throttle out and the RPM decreased to 1,900 RPM. He then applied full throttle and the RPM only increased to 2,000. A forced landing was performed to a young pecan orchard. Examination of the aircraft's fuel system revealed that the right fuel tank had approximately 20 gallons of fuel, and the left fuel tank was empty. Further examination of the aircraft's throttle assembly revealed that the throttle arm castellated nut was loose, and the cotter pin was missing allowing the throttle arm to move without actuating the throttle shaft. A review of the maintenance records revealed the throttle shaft was replaced 6.2 hours earlier during an annual inspection. The person who performed the throttle shaft replacement reported that the airplane left his facility with the cotter pin installed.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 172 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Jun 1997 | Cessna 172P | Fowlerville, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jul 1997 | Cessna 172N | Lakeland, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Jul 1997 | Cessna 172M | Athens, Tennessee, United States | Michael B. Guest | No injuries | - |
| 24 Nov 1997 | Cessna 172N | La Jolla, California, United States | Richard Jones | Fatal | 1 |
| 8 Aug 1997 | Cessna 172P | Rockhill, South Carolina, United States | Scott S. Fisher | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 Mar 1997 | Cessna 172 | Middletown, Ohio, United States | Barbara F. Schmidt | No injuries | - |
All 12,209 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Jun 1997 | Piper PA-18 | Clovis, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Jan 1997 | Beechcraft 95-B55 | Mayhill, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 3 Feb 1997 | Aeronca 65-TC | Moriarty, New Mexico, United States | William A. Essenburg | Fatal | 2 |
| 15 Feb 1997 | Piper PA-24-250 | Farmington, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 5 |
| 6 Oct 1997 | Aerostar S-60A | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Ronald E. Hensley | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jul 1997 | Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-2B | Hobbs, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |