Cessna 175A accident near Bentonville, Arkansas, October 5, 1997
On October 5, 1997 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Cessna 175A, registered N7091E, was destroyed in an accident near Bentonville, Arkansas (Bentonville Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The partial loss of engine power for an undetermined reason. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 1997 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bentonville, Arkansas · Bentonville Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 175A · all 175As on the register
- Registration
- N7091E · registry record · serial 56591
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the initial takeoff climb though 600 feet AGL at 350 fpm, 0.5 mile from the airport, the engine started running rough and there was a partial loss of power. The power was insufficient for maintaining the altitude of the airplane. During the forced landing to a field, the airplane touched down short of a fence extending across the field. The airplane struck the metal fence posts, collapsed the nose gear, and skidded about 90 feet before coming to a stop. After the airplane came to a stop, the rear seat passenger observed smoke coming from the right side of the aircraft. The pilot and passengers exited the airplane through the left passenger door. The airplane was consumed by the fire. Examination of the airplane revealed that the 'fire was concentrated around the carburetor and the aft portion of the engine.' However, fire damage precluded a determination of the cause of the partial loss of engine power.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 391 hours in all; 277 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 363 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,405 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 19, 1997; 116 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental GO-300-C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: VBT at 4:25 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 4,082 ft by 65 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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 FTW98LA005.