Sunday, October 21, 2018

Cessna 177B Cardinal, registered to an individual and operated by the pilot, N35170: Accident occurred September 17, 2017 in London, Madison County, Ohio

The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entity:

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Columbus, Ohio

Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf


Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms 
 
http://registry.faa.gov/N35170


Location: London, OH
Accident Number: CEN17LA358
Date & Time: 09/17/2017, 1600 EDT
Registration: N35170
Aircraft: CESSNA 177B
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Fuel exhaustion
Injuries: 2 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Instructional 

On September 17, 2017, about 1600 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 177B airplane, N35170, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing following a complete loss of engine power near London, Ohio. The flight instructor and student pilot were not injured. The airplane's right-wing spar was bent, and the fuselage was wrinkled aft of the cabin. The airplane was registered to an individual and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was not on a flight plan. The local flight originated from the Madison County Airport (UYF), London, Ohio, about 1415, performed a landing at the Lima Allen County Airport (AOH), Lima, Ohio, and was returning to UYF when the accident occurred.

The instructor pilot reported that after making a full stop landing at AOH, they started to fly back to UYF and had just began a descent about 6 to 7 miles from UYF when the engine "sputtered" several times and then stopped producing power. He established a proper glide speed and checked the fuel selector to ensure that both fuel tanks were selected. He noted that the fuel pressure was low and fluctuating, and the engine restarted for several seconds after the electric fuel boost pump was turned on and then it stopped producing power again. After making several turns to find a more suitable landing area to no avail, he landed the airplane in a corn field.

The pilot noted that the airplane's engine was recently overhauled and was being operated at high power settings and a full rich mixture for engine break-in. He noted that during previous flights the fuel consumption was about 11 gallons per hour (gph). He stated that before the accident flight he checked the fuel quantity and was confident that there was 25 gallons of fuel on-board the airplane, and the engine recording tachometer read 2069.3 hours prior to the flight. The tachometer indicated 2,070.6 hours at the time of the accident. Based on the fuel consumption on previous flights and the tachometer readings the pilot calculated that the airplane should have consumed about 14.3 gallons of fuel.

Examination of the airplane at the accident site revealed no usable fuel in either wing tank and no breaches of the fuel system. Since the airplane was not being operated at normal cruise power settings, fuel burn calculations based on information in the Pilot's Operating Handbook could not be made.

A subsequent examination and testing of the airplane was performed by a third party after its removal from the accident site and after wing removal. The airplane was placed in a hangar and after one day minor fuel stains were observed under the airplane. To further investigate if there was significant fuel leakage, the airplane was outfitted with a temporary fuel container secured to the cabin roof and plumbed into the left and right wing tank fuel line assembly inlets. The airplane's engine was run on two separate occasion using left, right, and both fuel selector positions, and with and without the electric fuel boost pump running. The engine speed that was attained during the test was 1,400 to 1,500 rpm, and the engine ran smoothly in all fuel configurations. Thorough examination of the airplane after each run did not reveal any fuel leakage and fuel consumption was not excessive. 

Pilot Information

Certificate: Airline Transport; Flight Instructor; Commercial
Age: 50, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Multi-engine Land; Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Right
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used:
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): Airplane Single-engine
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 2 With Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 06/28/2017
Occupational Pilot: Yes
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time: 7825 hours (Total, all aircraft), 18 hours (Total, this make and model), 7367 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 239 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 6 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft), 4 hours (Last 24 hours, all aircraft) 

Student Pilot Information

Certificate: None
Age: , Male
Airplane Rating(s): None
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: 3-point
Instrument Rating(s): None
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: None
Last FAA Medical Exam:
Occupational Pilot:
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time:  3 hours (Total, all aircraft), 3 hours (Total, this make and model)

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Registration: N35170
Model/Series: 177B B
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1975
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 17702245
Landing Gear Type: Tricycle
Seats: 4
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 01/21/2017, Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 2348 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection: 17 Hours
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 2054 Hours as of last inspection
Engine Manufacturer: LYCOMING
ELT: Installed, not activated
Engine Model/Series: O-360-A1F6D
Registered Owner: LAMBERT LARRY W
Rated Power: 180 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None 

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: TZR, 902 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 15 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 1947 UTC
Direction from Accident Site: 90°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Scattered / 5000 ft agl
Visibility: 10 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 5 knots /
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: /
Wind Direction: 190°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: /
Altimeter Setting: 30.1 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 28°C / 16°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: LONDON, OH (UYF)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: LONDON, OH (UYF)
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 1415 EDT
Type of Airspace: Class G 

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 2 None
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 None
Latitude, Longitude: 39.932778, -83.461944

NTSB Identification: CEN17LA358
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, September 17, 2017 in London, OH
Aircraft: CESSNA 177B, registration: N35170
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On September 17, 2017, about 1600 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 177B airplane, N35170, Sustained substantial damage during a forced landing following a complete loss of engine power near London, Ohio. The flight instructor and student pilot were not injured. The airplane's right wing spar was bent and the fuselage wrinkled aft of the cabin. The aircraft was registered to an individual and operated by an the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was not on a flight plan. The local flight originated from the Madison County Airport (UYF), London, Ohio, about 1415, performed a landing at the Lima Allen County Airport (AOH), Lima, Ohio, and was returning to UYF when the accident occurred.

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