Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Cessna 172I Skyhawk, N35571: Accidents occurred April 22, 2022 and January 19, 2012

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. 

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

Additional Participating Entity: 
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Baltimore, Maryland

Clearview Flying Club Inc 


Location: Westminster, Maryland
Accident Number: ERA22LA203
Date and Time: April 22, 2022, 18:00 Local
Registration: N35571
Aircraft: Cessna 172 
Injuries: 1 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Instructional

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Cessna 
Registration: N35571
Model/Series: 172 L 
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built:
Operator: 
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: VMC 
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KDMW, 789 ft msl 
Observation Time: 17:55 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 8 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 20°C /2°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: / ,
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.38 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed:
Departure Point: 
Destination:

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: 
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 None 
Latitude, Longitude: 39.468829,-77.02076 (est)

April 22, 2022:  Aircraft attempted to land, overshot the runway, rolled down a slope, nosed over and flipped at Clearview Airpark  (2W2), Westminster, Maryland.

Date: 22-APR-22
Time: 22:00:00Z
Regis#: N35571
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: 172
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
Operation: 91
City: WESTMINSTER
State: MARYLAND

January 19, 2012










Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board

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

Additional Participating Entity: 
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Nashville, Tennessee 

Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board:


Location: Springfield, Tennessee
Accident Number: ERA12LA148
Date and Time: January 19, 2012, 14:55 
Local Registration: N35571
Aircraft: Cessna 172I 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Loss of engine power (total)
Injuries: 1 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

Analysis

The pilot was flying the airplane on the second leg of a visual flight rules cross-country trip, which he flew at an altitude of 3,500 feet in order to remain below an overcast ceiling. Approaching the destination airport, the pilot began a cruise descent and, about 10 miles from the airport, began configuring the airplane for landing. The pilot reduced engine power to about 1,500 rpm, set the mixture
to full rich, but did not activate the carburetor heat. The engine then lost power, and the pilot subsequently performed a forced landing to a field. During the landing, the nose landing gear struck a ditch. Responders noted that fuel was recovered from the airplane following the accident; the engine was run after the accident with no anomalies noted. The temperature and dew point reported on the surface at an airport located about 21 nautical miles from the accident site were conducive to carburetor icing at both glide and cruise power settings.

Probable Cause and Findings

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot did not apply carburetor heat during approach to landing, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to carburetor icing.

Findings

Personnel issues Lack of action - Pilot
Environmental issues Conducive to carburetor icing - Effect on equipment
Aircraft (general) - Not used/operated

Factual Information

On January 19, 2012, about 1455 central standard time, a Cessna 172I, N35571, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Springfield, Tennessee. The certificated commercial pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight, which originated from Vermilion Regional Airport (DNV), Danville, Illinois about 1215, and was destined for John C. Tune Airport (JWN), Nashville, Tennessee. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

According to a written statement submitted by the pilot, he departed from Wittman Regional Airport (OSH), Oshkosh, Wisconsin and stopped at DNV to service the airplane with fuel. After departing from DNV, the pilot climbed the airplane to 3,500 feet in order to remain below a low ceiling of clouds.Several miles north of Springfield, Tennessee, the pilot listened to the JWN automated weather observation and began a cruise descent. About 10 nautical miles north of JWN, and while descending through 2,100 feet, the pilot began to configure the airplane for landing.

The pilot reduced engine power to about 1,500 rpm and set the fuel mixture to full rich, but did not activate the carburetor heat. The engine then "suddenly acted as though it were starved for fuel." With rising terrain ahead, and only being about 800 feet above the ground, the pilot "pumped" the throttle, began searching for a suitable forced landing area, and activated the emergency locator transmitter. As the pilot approached the intended landing field from the east, he realized that the airplane was high and fast, so flew north and circled back in order to set up for a landing to the southwest. The pilot subsequently landed the airplane on the downward slope of the field at an airspeed around 60 knots.  During the rollout, the nose landing gear struck a ditch and the airplane nosed over.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the wreckage following the accident and reported that the airplane had incurred substantial damage during the accident, including damage to the nose landing gear and firewall. The inspector also noted that when he arrived at the accident scene, about 1.5 hours after the accident occurred, a strong odor of aviation gasoline was present. First responders reported recovering about 5 gallons of fuel that had drained from the airplane, and a local airframe and powerplant mechanic who prepared the airplane for recovery by removing the wings from the fuselage reported that each wing contained an "ample" quantity of fuel. The mechanic also noted normal function of the gascolator and the presence of fuel within it.

After being recovered from the accident scene, the airplane was examined under the supervision of an NTSB investigator. About 2 ounces of fuel were drained from the carburetor drain plug. Since the wings of the airplane had been removed to facilitate transport following the accident, an alternate fuel source was plumbed to the fuel line fitting at the right wing root. The right fuel tank was subsequently selected in the cockpit, and fuel flowed to the gascolator and carburetor. During a test run, the engine started immediately and without hesitation. The engine was then operated at various power settings between idle and 2,500 rpm for about 5 minutes, with no anomalies noted.

The weather conditions reported at Nashville International Airport (BNA), Nashville, Tennessee, elevation 599 feet, located about 21 nautical miles southeast of the accident site, at 1453, included winds from 200 degrees at 10 knots, 10 statute miles visibility, few clouds at 15,000 feet, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet, temperature 10 degrees Celsius (C), dewpoint minus 04 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 29.97 inches of mercury.

According to FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) CE-09-35, Carburetor Icing Prevention, dated June 30, 2009, "Pilots should be aware that carburetor icing doesn't just occur in freezing conditions, it can occur at temperatures well above freezing temperatures when there is visible moisture or high humidity. Icing can occur in the carburetor at temperatures above freezing because vaporization of fuel, combined with the expansion of air as it flows through the carburetor, (Venturi Effect) causes sudden cooling, sometimes by a significant amount within a fraction of a second." The SAIB provided a diagram which showed the probability of carburetor icing for various temperature and relative humidity conditions. Applying the surface temperature and dewpoint reported at BNA about the time of the accident to the diagram showed that "Icing (glide and cruise power)" conditions prevailed. Among the recommendations in the SAIB to pilots was that pilots should, "Use carburetor heat on approach and descent when operating at low power settings, or in conditions where carburetor icing is probable."

History of Flight

Approach Loss of engine power (total) (Defining event)
Emergency descent Off-field or emergency landing
Landing Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)

Pilot Information

Certificate: Commercial 
Age: 67,Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine land; Single-engine sea
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): Glider 
Restraint Used:
Instrument Rating(s): None 
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): 
Glider Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 3 With waivers/limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: November 16, 2011
Occupational Pilot: No 
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: November 19, 2010
Flight Time: 3200 hours (Total, all aircraft), 450 hours (Total, this make and model), 3050 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 50 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 22 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft)

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Cessna 
Registration: N35571
Model/Series: 172I 
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 
Amateur Built:
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal 
Serial Number: 17256842
Landing Gear Type: Tricycle
Seats: 4
Date/Type of Last Inspection: January 17, 2012 Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 2300 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection: 
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 2754 Hrs as of last inspection 
Engine Manufacturer: LYCOMING
ELT: Installed, activated, did not aid in locating accident
Engine Model/Series: O-320-E2D
Registered Owner: 
Rated Power: 150 Horsepower
Operator: On file 
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual (VMC)
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: BNA,599 ft msl 
Distance from Accident Site: 21 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 14:53 Local
Direction from Accident Site: 160°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Few / 15000 ft AGL
Visibility: 10 miles
Lowest Ceiling: None 
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 10 knots / 
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual:  /
Wind Direction: 200° 
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual:  /
Altimeter Setting: 29.96 inches Hg 
Temperature/Dew Point: 10°C / -4°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: Danville, IL (DNV)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Nashville, TN (JWN)
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 12:15 Local
Type of Airspace:

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 None 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries:
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 None
Latitude, Longitude: 36.433612,-86.898056(est)

3 comments:

  1. Wow, we don't hear too much from the 172I model these which was the first year (1968) Cessna went with Lycoming for the 172 series. A little over 1,200 were built but I'm too lazy to see how many are still registered and flying.

    ReplyDelete
  2. this 172i is a gorgeous airplane with a straight leading edge wing. easy no float landings on short rwys, even I could do it! hope she flies again!

    ReplyDelete