14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, July 28, 2011 in Pahokee, FL
Probable Cause Approval Date: 08/07/2012
Aircraft: CESSNA 172M, registration: N1443U
Injuries: 1 Minor,1 Uninjured.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The flight instructor stated that, as the airplane climbed through about 500 feet above the ground after takeoff on the intended dual instructional cross-country flight, the engine started shaking, sputtering, and making “alarming” noises. The flight instructor took control of the airplane, noted nothing abnormal with the mixture, fuel selectors, engine instruments, or fuel quantity, and decided to return to the departure airport to land. The flight instructor noted that there was not a total loss of engine power, but it was not possible to maintain the airplane’s altitude. When the flight instructor realized that the airplane was too high and too fast to land on the intended runway, she moved the throttle to idle; however, she did not use flaps or slip the airplane to reach the runway. The airplane overflew the entire length of the runway, and the flight instructor elected to land the airplane in a lake on the left to avoid obstacles straight ahead and on the right. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the No. 3 cylinder exhaust valve head had sheared off at the stem. The stem, spring, and rocker arm were still intact, and the No. 3 piston exhibited signs of mechanical damage from the sheared head inside the combustion chamber. At the time of the accident, the engine had 2,229.5 hours of operation since major overhaul. The engine manufacturer's recommended time between overhauls was 2,000 hours.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The flight instructor's misjudgment of the airplane's position and airspeed relative to the runway while returning to the airport after a partial loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was the separation of the engine's No. 3 cylinder exhaust valve head from the stem, and the operator’s exceedence of the engine manufacturer's recommended time between overhauls.
On July 28, 2011, about 1200 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N1443U, was substantially damaged during a forced landing in Lake Okeechobee, near Pahokee, Florida. The certificated flight instructor was not injured and the certificated student pilot incurred minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan had been filed for the flight, between Palm Beach County Glades Airport (PHK), Pahokee, Florida, and Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE), Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The instructional flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
According to the flight instructor, the accident flight was part of a series of cross country and student solo flights that day. Upon arrival at PHK, three practice landings were completed before a full stop landing. During a subsequent takeoff for FXE from runway 17, with winds from 100 degrees magnetic at 10 knots, the student pilot was at the controls. All of the gauges were "in the green," and the fuel tanks were half full.
After the takeoff and a straight-out departure, as the airplane reached 500 feet, the engine started shaking, sputtering, and making "alarming" noises. The flight instructor immediately took control of the airplane, and quickly glanced at the mixture, fuel selectors, engine instruments, and fuel, without noting anything abnormal. The flight instructor then turned the airplane back toward runway 35, and transmitted via radio an engine failure, but saw that the engine did not completely quit. Instead, it was not producing any thrust, and the airplane could not maintain altitude.
The flight instructor also stated that after turning the airplane back toward runway 35, she realized that it was too high and too fast. She pulled out the throttle; however, she did not use flaps or attempt to slip the airplane. The airplane then overflew the entire length of the runway, and the flight instructor had to consider other options. In front of her was a house, to the right was a road lined with power lines, and to the left was the lake. The flight instructor then turned the airplane over the lake, and "floated" it as long as possible before it touched down and nosed over. The flight instructor and student pilot exited the airplane and waited on its belly until rescue.
After its removal from the lake, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors and flight school maintenance personnel examined the airplane and the Lycoming 0-320-E2D engine, and found that the No. 3 cylinder exhaust valve head had sheared off the stem. The stem, spring and rocker arm were still intact, and the No. 3 piston exhibited signs of mechanical damage from the sheared head inside the combustion chamber.
The airplane's engine was last inspected during a 100-hour inspection on July 21, 2011. According to the logbook entry, at that time, the engine had accrued 2,211.8 hours of operation since major overhaul. At the time of the accident, hours of engine operation since major overhaul were 2,229.5.
According to Lycoming Service Instruction 1009AU, dated November 18, 2009, recommended time between overhauls of the O-320-E engine is 2,000 hours.
========
Two people avoided serious injury after their small plane crashed upside down in Lake Okeechobee on Thursday.
The plane took off from Palm Beach County Glades Airport, but didn't make it far before flipping over, officials said.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Rescuers found the two people on board, a flight instructor and a student, sitting on top of the upside down plane.
One person suffered minor injuries.
Student Pilot, Instructor On Board Single-Engine Cessna
PAHOKEE, Fla. -- A small plane overturned in Lake Okeechobee shortly after taking off from the Pahokee airport Thursday afternoon.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue spokesman Don Delucia said a student pilot and his flight instructor took off from the Pahokee airport about noon when they experienced problems and had to land in the lake.
The single-engine Cessna landed upside down in the water.
Both people on board were rescued by an airboat.
Delucia said they had minor injuries.
PAHOKEE, Fla. - A small plane flipped over in Pahokee Thursday afternoon.
According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, the incident happened on Lake Okeechobee behind the Palm Beach County Glades Airport.
Two people, an instructor and student, were on board and rescued by an airboat, according to Palm Beach County Fire Rescue.
One person had minor injuries.
No comments:
Post a Comment