Cessna 172 accident near Hope Valley, Rhode Island, August 19, 1993
On August 19, 1993 at about 7:25 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N9845J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hope Valley, Rhode Island. It was an instructional 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 engine failure as the result of ingestion of pieces of carburetor into the cylinders, and the subsequent forced landing and nose over during the landing roll after encountering soft terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 19, 1993 · about 7:25 pm local time
- Place
- Hope Valley, Rhode Island
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N9845J · no longer on the register · serial 73931
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER COMPLETING A SIMULATED FORCED LANDING, THE CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR (CFI) AND THE STUDENT PILOT INITIATED A CLIMB TO CRUISE ALTITUDE. AT APPROXIMATELY 1100 FEET, THE ENGINE SPUTTERED AND QUIT. THE CFI WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE, AND A FORCED LANDING WAS ACCOMPLISHED. DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE NOSE WHEEL ENCOUNTERED SOFT TERRAIN AND THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE CARBURETOR ACCELERATOR PUMP TUBE WAS MISSING FROM THE CARBURETOR THROAT, AND PIECES OF THE TUBE WERE FOUND IN CYLINDERS #2 AND #3.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,700 hours in all; 2,400 in this make and model; 270 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 4,520 as pilot in command; 4,250 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,143 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 28, 1993; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RVD Providence RI at 6:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.