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ATL89LA186

1989-08-01 · N MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport CRE

Current FAA registration · N336AF

Make / Model
CESSNA 172L
Year of manufacture
1972 · 17 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19720203
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A3AC1F

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

WATER CONTAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE FUEL SUPPLY, AND THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO ADEQUATELY PREFLIGHT THE AIRCRAFT. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: SWAMPY TERRAIN AT THE EMERGENCY LANDING SITE.

Factual narrative

THE AIRPLANE ENGINE LOST POWER SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF. A FORCED LNDG WAS SUBSEQUENTLY MADE ON SWAMPY TERRAIN; THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER DURING THE LNDG. EXAM OF THE AIRPLANE AFTER THE MISHAP REVEALED WATER IN THE FUEL STRAINER AND CARBURETOR. THE ENGINE STARTED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE WATER WAS REMOVED. ALSO, IT DEVELOPED NORMAL POWER DURING A RUNUP, AND NO PROBLEMS WERE NOTED. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1989_ATL89LA186.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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