Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Coolidge, Georgia 31738
Saturday, March 11, 1989 18:20 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE ENGINE LOST PWR DURING A FERRY FLT & A FORCED LDG WAS MADE IN A SOFT FIELD, WHERE THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER. A POST-CRASH INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE CARBURETOR FUEL-INLET FILTER SCREEN WAS MOSTLY BLOCKED WITH A LINT-LIKE MATERIAL. A MICROSCOPIC EXAM OF THE MATERIAL REVEALED THAT IT APPEARED TO BE CLOTH FIBERS. THE SOURCE OF THE MATERIAL WAS NOT DETERMINED. FURTHER INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ENGINE HAD EXPERIENCED REPEATED, INTERMITTENT PWR LOSSES OVER THE PREVIOUS WEEK IN SPITE OF REPEATED EFFORTS BY COMPANY MECHANICS TO LOCATE THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM. ACCORDING TO THE MECHANICS, CONTAMINATION WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL SYSTEM DURING THOSE EFFORTS; THE FILTERS WERE CLEANED AND THE FUEL SYSTEM WAS FLUSHED. THE INTERMITTENT POWER LOSSES OCCURRED AGAIN. EARLIER ON THIS FLT, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO SURGE & A PRECAUTIONARY LDG WAS MADE. THE MECHANIC ACCOMPANYING THE PLT REPORTEDLY FOUND NO PROBLEMS AND THE FLT WAS CONTINUED. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED ABOUT 1 HR LATER.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
FUEL CONTAMINATION OF AN UNKNOWN ORIGIN, FAILURE OF COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL TO LOCATE AND REMOVE ALL CONTAMINATION, CONTINUED OPERATION OF THE AIRCRAFT BY THE PILOT AFTER THE CAUSE OF A KNOWN ENGINE PROBLEM WAS NOT DETERMINED, AND SUBSEQUENT FUEL STARVATION. THE LIGHT CONDITIONS AT DUSK AND THE SOFT TERRAIN IN THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA WERE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 3/11/1989 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 1820 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | COOLIDGE |
| Event State | GEORGIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 31738 |
| Event Date Year | 1989 |
| Event Date Month | 3 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | 0 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Dusk |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 8000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 3 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 16 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Variable |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Light and Variable |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 2 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1028 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Mar 13 1989 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 518 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 39234 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 13 2000 12:31PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N1365F |
| NTSB Number | ATL89LA102 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | CESSNA |
| Aircraft Model | 172G |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 172G |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 17254860 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2300 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jan 31 1989 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 56 |
| Airframe Hours | 4444 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Yes |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | FLEWELLEN AVIATION, INC |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 1824 CRABTREE ROAD |
| Aircraft Owner City | HIXSON |
| Aircraft Owner State | TN |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 37343 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | FLEWELLEN AVIATION, INC. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 1824 E. CRABTREE RD. |
| Operator City | HIXSON |
| Operator State | TN |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 37343 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Ferry |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | X31 |
| Departure City | CRYSTAL RIVER |
| Departure State | FL |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1712 |
| Departure Time Zone | EST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | ABY |
| Destination City | ALBANY |
| Destination State | GA |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Landing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:35AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | 0 |
| Runway Width | 0 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |