Cessna 172 N6729A

Summary

On 7 September 2007 at about 15:00 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N6729A was involved in an accident near Mooresville, North Carolina, United States. One person was 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

7 September 2007 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Mooresville, North Carolina, United States

Coordinates

35.6231, -80.9103

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N6729A

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mooresville → Mooresville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA07CA141

Nobody was injured.

The inadequate preflight inspection of the airplane by the pilot-in-command for his failure to remove all water contamination from the fuel system.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During preflight inspection of the airplane water was detected and drained from the left wing fuel tank; but no other water was noted in the fuel system. The flight departed and approximately 20 minutes into the flight, the engine experienced a loss of power. Application of carburetor heat momentarily restored engine power but the engine power decreased, and further attempts to restore engine power were unsuccessful. The pilot then maneuvered for a forced landing on a golf course but due to golfers on the intended fairway, the pilot landed long. The nose landing gear fork fractured after contacting a curb and the left wing contacted the ground. Postaccident examination of the airframe revealed six ounces of water in the gascolator. The seals of the fuel filler caps were "cracked." There was no evidence of preimpact mechanical failure of the engine or its systems.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.