Cessna 172 N6486J

Summary

On 1 March 2019 at about 20:45 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N6486J, operated by Avcenter Inc., was involved in an accident near Melba, Idaho, 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

1 March 2019 at 20:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Melba, Idaho, United States

Nearest airport

Nampa Muni (MAN)

Coordinates

43.4269, -116.6211

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N6486J

Category

Airplane

Year built

1980

Engines

1

Operator

Avcenter Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Nampa → Nampa

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR19LA092

Nobody was injured.

The total loss of engine power due to a separated carburetor idle mixture adjustment screw and spring assembly for reasons that could not be determined.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor and student pilot were performing maneuvers when the engine lost total power. The instructor pitched the nose of the airplane down and asked the student pilot to restart the engine. The student pilot was unable to rotate the engine using the starter, and the flight instructor verified that the master switch was in the “ON” position. The instructor tried to start the engine himself and was unsuccessful. The flight instructor performed a forced landing in a field. Examination revealed that the idle mixture adjustment screw and spring assembly had separated from the carburetor and were found in the lower cowling area. After the airplane was relocated to a nearby road the engine rotated via the starter. Examination of the idle mixture adjustment screw and spring assembly revealed no anomalies. The reason that the screw backed out of the carburetor could not be determined. The starter solenoid was removed and disassembled. The starter solenoid was examined and revealed a frayed and separated wire from the coil to a terminal end. The reasons for this fraying and separation could not be determined. Although the starter solenoid was faulty, it is unlikely that the engine would have restarted due to the separated idle mixture screw and spring assembly.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.