Cessna 172-A N7198T

Summary

On 18 August 2001 at about 00:15 local time, a Cessna 172-A registered N7198T was involved in an accident near Groveland, California, United States. One person was on board and 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.

Date

18 August 2001 at 00:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Groveland, California, United States

Nearest airport

Pine Mountain Lake (Q68)

Coordinates

37.8503, -120.0107

Aircraft

Cessna 172-A

Registration

N7198T

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Groveland → Groveland

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX01LA282

1 person had minor injuries.

a loss of engine power due to water contamination forced the pilot to land in an unsuitable area resulting in collision with a tree.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot made an off airport forced landing following a loss of engine power about 2 minutes after departure. The pilot preflighted the airplane, drained fuel, and completed an extensive run-up. He taxied to the fuel pumps and added over 18 gallons of fuel. He did another run-up and departed. About 75 feet agl the engine sputtered and lost power. The pilot was unable to regain power so he attempted to land on a dirt road. The left wing contacted upsloping terrain; the right wing contacted trees and separated from the airplane. All engine controls and the carburetor air box were secure and functioning. The magnetos were timed to within 1 degree of each other, and the spark plugs were not discolored. All cylinders except cylinder No. 5 had compression greater than 70/80; cylinder No.5 was 25/80. Mechanics staked the valve, but the compression did not change. The gascolator contained 3 ounces of fuel. The carburetor contained a small amount of water; however, the fuel selector valve and main fuel line to the carburetor only contained fuel. The tank vents were clear.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.