What happened
On June 15, 2013, at approximately 1800 PDT, a Cessna 175 bearing registration N9370B experienced a loss of engine power while in cruise flight. The aircraft was flying from Tehachapi Municipal Airport (TSP) in California to Ernest A. Love Field Airport (PRC) in Arizona. The flight was being conducted under visual meteorological conditions.
While at 8,000 feet MSL, approximately 15 miles southwest of the Laughlin-Bullhead Airport, the engine began to sputter and subsequently lost power. The pilot attempted to establish a best glide airspeed for an emergency landing, but the aircraft impacted terrain short of the intended landing site in a Bureau of Land Management Wilderness Area near Needles, California.
The accident resulted in two serious injuries and three minor injuries, with no fatalities. The aircraft sustained structural damage throughout the fuselage.
The investigation
Mechanical examination of the engine and fuel system revealed no anomalies that would have prevented normal operation. Although the pilot suggested the fuel might have been contaminated with water, investigators found the carburetor inlet fuel screen was clear and no sediment was present. While the pilot reported draining fuel from the aircraft after the impact to mitigate fire risk, investigators found no evidence of fuel being drained and no fuel present in the system upon recovery.
Investigators also examined the aircraft's seating configuration. Although the aircraft was manufactured with four seats, it was only equipped with three. The rear seat was attached to the floor via a homemade mounting frame constructed from welded hollow pipe. This unapproved structure fractured into multiple pieces during the impact.
Findings
- The aircraft was operated with more passengers than available seats, which led to an adult and a child sharing a single seatbelt in the front passenger seat.
- The rear passenger sustained serious injuries due to the failure of the unapproved, homemade seat mounting frame.
- The pilot had recently fueled the aircraft using automotive gasoline purchased from a local retailer.