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| Date: | Sunday 21 April 2024 |
| Time: | 14:45 |
| Type: |  Cessna 120 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N77032 |
| MSN: | 11478 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Talkeetna Airport (TKA/PATK), Talkeetna, AK -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Talkeetna Airport, AK (TKA/PATK) |
| Talkeetna Airport, AK (TKA/PATK) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On April 21, 2024, about 1445 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 120 airplane, N77032, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident at the Talkeetna Airport (TKA), Talkeetna, Alaska. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot reported that the engine rpm began to fluctuate just after takeoff, so he turned back to the airport and verified the fuel selector position. During the turn the engine lost all power and the pilot made a forced landing into snow-covered terrain short of the runway. The airplane’s landing gear dug into the snow, and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted.
A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the airplane contained about half a tank of fuel. Fuel was present throughout the fuel system; no obstructions were observed in the gascolator fuel strainer or the in-line fuel screen in the carburetor. The P-lead connections into both the left and right magnetos were loose. The crankshaft was rotated and only one spark plug lead produced a spark. The magnetos were placed on a test bench and all but three of the leads produced a strong spark.
The installed spark plugs were in worn-out condition. Five of the sparkplugs had excessive gaps between the ground electrode and the center electrode.
Inspection of the ignition system and P lead connections should have occurred during the last annual inspection. It is likely that the degraded, poorly maintained ignition system resulted in the total loss of engine power.
Probable Cause: A degraded ignition system, which resulted in a total loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was maintenance personnel’s inadequate inspection of the ignition system.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=194123
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 22-Apr-2024 13:14 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 10-May-2024 19:00 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report, ] |
| 13-Apr-2025 20:14 | Captain Adam | Updated [Source, Narrative, Photo, ] |
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