Cessna 172N accident near Bristol, New Hampshire, July 2, 1994
On July 2, 1994 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N734TU, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bristol, New Hampshire. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of maintenance personnel to remove an object from the carburetor heat duct during annual inspection which blocked induction air and resulted in the loss of engine power, and the subsequent collision with the terrain during a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 1994 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bristol, New Hampshire
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N734TU · registry record · serial 17269108
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS CONDUCTING A COMMERCIAL SIGHTSEEING FLIGHT. HE STATED THAT WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT, THERE WAS A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. HE ATTEMPTED TO REGAIN ENGINE POWER, BUT THE ENGINE DID NOT RESPOND. HE INITIATED A FORCED LANDING TO A FIELD. DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED AND DAMAGED THE FIREWALL. AN FAA INSPECTOR EXAMINED THE ENGINE AND FOUND A RAG IN THE CARBURETOR HEAT DUCTING. THIS WAS THE AIRPLANE'S THIRD FLIGHT SINCE AN ANNUAL INSPECTION.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 310 hours in all; 175 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 264 as pilot in command; 6 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Emerson Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: LCI Laconia NH at 5:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 11 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:06 pm from LCI, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.