AINSWORTH, NE, USA
N4843G
CESSNA 172
THE PVT PLT SAID HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND ON RUNWAY 30, WITH A 40 DEGREE LEFT CROSSWIND OF ABOUT 15 KNOTS. DISSATISFIED WITH HIS APPROACH, HE ELECTED TO GO-AROUND BEFORE TOUCHDOWN. AFTER ESTABLISHING A POSITIVE RATE OF CLIMB AND ATTAINING ABOUT 150 FEET AGL, HE SAID THE ENGINE FAILED. HE WENT THROUGH NORMAL EMERGENCY PROCEDURES IN AN EFFORT TO RESTART THE ENGINE WITHOUT SUCCESS. HE ATTEMPTED TO LAND ON A ROUGH FARM FIELD, BUT SAID HE FELT HE HAD LET HIS AIRSPEED DETERIORATE AND THE AIRCRAFT MUSH-STALLED COLLIDING WITH THE TERRAIN. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION AND ENGINE RUN UP FAILED TO REVEAL THE CAUSE OF ENGINE FAILURE. THE CARBURETOR AND HEAT BOX WERE DESTROYED BY THE IMPACT SO A REPLACEMENT CARBURETOR HAD TO BE FITTED FOR THE RUNUP. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FUEL CONTAMINATION OR STARVATION/EXHAUSTION. METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS WERE NOT CONDUCIVE FOR CARBURETOR ICING. THE PLT HAD BEEN WELL TRAINED IN THE USAGE OF CARBURETOR LEANING TECHNIQUES AND CARBURETOR HEAT CONTROL USAGE.
THE LOSS OF POWER FROM UNDETERMINED REASONS DURING AN ATTEMPTED GO-AROUND. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE AND THE CROSSWIND CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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