Cessna 172RG N9451D

Summary

On 29 March 1999 at about 22:30 local time, a Cessna 172RG registered N9451D was involved in an accident near Moorpark, California, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 March 1999 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Moorpark, California, United States

Nearest airport

Camarillo (CMA)

Coordinates

34.3106, -118.8707

Aircraft

Cessna 172RG

Registration

N9451D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Montgomery → Camarillo

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX99LA134

Nobody was injured.

The failure and separation of the number two cylinder for undetermined reasons. A factor was the soft terrain at the forced landing site.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The instructor and instrument student were in level flight at 4,000 feet msl at the initial approach fix for a practice VOR approach. After hearing a loud bang in the engine compartment, smoke and flames were observed entering the cockpit by the rudder pedals. The instructor immediately turned the fuel selector valve to off and nosed the airplane over to land. The fire went out and he set up to land in a plowed field. He secured the airplane, opened the doors, and then executed a soft-field landing with full flaps. When the nose wheel dropped into the soft dirt after touchdown, it dug in and the airplane nosed over. The number two cylinder assembly with its intake and exhaust tubes exited through the cowling and were not recovered. Pieces of piston, compression ring, a push rod, and a piston pin were found in the cowling. The connecting rod fractured at a midpoint along both sides of the wrist pin. Mechanical continuity was established for the remaining engine cylinders, no discoloration was evident, and all fracture surfaces were grainy and angular.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.