Cessna 172A accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, March 16, 2025
On March 16, 2025 at about 10:15 pm local time, a 1959 Cessna 172A, registered N7274T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fairbanks, Alaska (Fairbanks International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s decision to initiate the flight despite identifying a malfunction in the carburetor heat system during the pre-takeoff engine run-up, which led to a partial loss of engine power during climb out. Contributing to the accident was maintenance personnel’s improper rigging of the carburetor heat control cable.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 16, 2025 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Fairbanks, Alaska · Fairbanks International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172A, built 1959 · all 172As on the register
- Registration
- N7274T · registry record · serial 46874
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot, who was also the owner of the airplane, was conducting a familiarization flight with the pilot-rated passenger, who was a prospective buyer of the airplane. The pilot reported having flown the airplane for a total of 35 hours after the engine had been removed, disassembled, and reinstalled just over 3 years before the accident; however, the airframe and engine logbooks show no hours accrued since the engine reinstallation. The pilot reported that, during engine run-up, the engine speed did not decrease when he pulled the carburetor heat knob. He stated that, after he shut down the engine, he “had the pilot actuate the carb heat push/pull knob several times while I observed and felt the mechanism on the air box move in a way that seemed normal.” The pilot then elected to continue the flight. During the initial climb out, the pilot pulled the carburetor heat knob to recheck the functionality of the carburetor heat and immediately experienced a large drop in engine speed. He kept the carburetor heat on, “expecting it to clear quickly if it was ice, as it has always done in the past.” After observing that power was not being restored, he turned back toward the airport. The engine continued to run at low power; however, the airplane was unable to maintain altitude and the pilot elected to land on a frozen river south of the airport. During the landing, the airplane nosed over, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the carburetor heat cable was too long, had a visible kink where it attached to the heat control mechanism, and did not properly engage the heat control mechanism in either the fully open or closed position. Due to the excessive length of the carburetor heat control cable, the carburetor heat was always partially on, and this condition could not be changed when actuated by the control knob in the cockpit. The excessive cable length most likely occurred due to inadvertent repositioning of the clamp attaching the carburetor heat control cable sheath to the carburetor airbox during a previous engine removal and reinstall about three and a half years before the accident flight. The environmental conditions at the time of the accident were not conducive to the accumulation of carburetor icing. The carburetor heat control cable’s excessive length and incorrect positioning likely prevented the proper operation of the carburetor heat, resulting in a partial application of carburetor heat and partial loss of engine power during climb out.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- 350190 during loss of engine power
- 350340 during loss of engine power
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Maintenance personnel
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › Fuel control/carburetor › Incorrect service/maintenance
Pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land, AME, ASE, IAIR, APLN, none
- Flight time: 8,367 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 153 in the last 90 days; 89 in the last 30 days; 8,266 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 11, 2024
- Medical certificate: class 1
- Injury: minor injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Flight time: 62 hours in all
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,502.7 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, June 7, 2024; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-C (piston); 3,502 hours total
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: FAI Fairbanks AK at 10:00 pm
- Destination: FAI Fairbanks AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 2R, 4,510 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; a few clouds at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 10°C, dew point 0°C
- Altimeter: 29.700001 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from PAFA, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PAFA 162153Z 16004KT 10SM FEW040 SCT055 BKN100 M12/M18 A2970 RMK AO2 SLP070 T11171178
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC25LA025.