Cessna 172N N739JU

Summary

On 17 September 2024 at about 16:55 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N739JU, operated by Gregg Flying Service Inc, was involved in an accident near Arboles, Colorado, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 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

17 September 2024 at 16:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Arboles, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Animas Airpark (00C)

Coordinates

37.1200, -107.3900

Aircraft

Cessna 172N

Registration

N739JU

Category

Airplane

Year built

1978

Engines

1

Operator

Gregg Flying Service Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Durango → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN24LA362

1 person was seriously injured.

A loss of engine power due to carburetor ice.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that during the flight, at an altitude of 1,800 ft above the ground, she encountered an area of light rain, so she applied carburetor heat as a precaution. Once carburetor heat was applied, the engine began to run rough and lose power. The pilot turned the carburetor heat on and off a few times because she was not sure if the introduction of the carburetor heat was making the loss of power worse. The pilot also completed the checklist for engine roughness. Unable to clear up the engine roughness and unable to maintain airplane altitude, the pilot performed a forced landing. The fuselage and right wing sustained substantial damage when the airplane impacted trees and terrain. A postaccident examination of the engine and fuel system did not reveal any preexisting anomalies or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Ample fuel drained from the wing fuel tanks before the wreckage was recovered; however, the amount of fuel drained was not documented. The recorded temperature and dew point near the accident site were conducive to “serious icing” at cruise engine power settings. Based on this information, it is likely that carburetor ice formed and there was insufficient time/altitude for the carburetor heat to melt the accumulated ice.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.