Cessna 172L accident near Bullhead City, Arizona, March 7, 2002
On March 7, 2002 at about 9:07 pm local time, a Cessna 172L, registered N7774G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bullhead City, Arizona (Bullhead/Laughlin Intl. airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to comply with maintenance/inspection requirements that resulted in a propeller failure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 7, 2002 · about 9:07 pm local time
- Place
- Bullhead City, Arizona · Bullhead/Laughlin Intl. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172L · all 172Ls on the register
- Registration
- N7774G · registry record · serial 17259474
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the takeoff departure the student pilot experienced a catastropic failure of the propeller. Control tower personnel reported that shortly after takeoff, about 800 feet above the runway, the airplane experienced a mechanical problem and returned to the runway. They also noted substantial damage to the front of the engine compartment with debris scattered on the runway. Preliminary examination of the airplane revealed a disintegrated propeller hub with loss of a propeller blade and a severed crankshaft aft of the shaft flange. Substantial damage was evident to the firewall assembly with the engine pointing down about 30 degrees. The pilot stated that there were no prior indications of a discrepancy with the engine or airframe during the run-up or takeoff. He said that the engine ran smoothly until there was a big explosion that "took off the front end." The last documented annual inspection occured in January 2001; an inspection that is required every 12 months per FAR 91.409a (1), as are other inspections and procedures. According to records, the propeller was installed on the airplane during a powerplant modification February 1, 1988, at airplane tachometer reading of 3,966 hours. The propeller had been overhauled August 24, 1987, at 1,971 hours. At the time of the accident, the propeller had accrued 313 hours since overhaul, over 14 years prior. The McCauley factory recommended overhaul is 1,200 hours or 60 months. Examination of the propeller hub revealed a crack progression from a corrosion pit inside the hub to a point of overload failure. McCauley Service Bulletins 213 and 213A were issued January 20, 1994, and June 5, 1998, to provide improved lubrication and corrosion protection, as well as a built-in means of crack detection. According to SB213A, the recommended compliance time for propellers greater than 900 hours or 59-calendar months since last overhaul/penetrant inspection is within the next 100 hours, or at the next annual inspection, whichever occurs first.
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: student
- Flight time: 240 hours in all; 240 in this make and model; 10 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None (expired)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,279 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2002; 68 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Avco Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IFP Bullhead City AZ at 9:07 pm
- Destination: GEU Glendale AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 5,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.77 inHg
- Observation at 8:45 pm from IFP
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.