Cessna 172S N972SP

Summary

On 2 September 2005 at about 13:00 local time, a Cessna 172S registered N972SP, operated by American Flight Services, was involved in an accident near Kutztown, Pennsylvania, United States. One person was 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

2 September 2005 at 13:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Kutztown, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Kutztown Airport (N31)

Coordinates

40.5067, -75.7878

Aircraft

Cessna 172S

Registration

N972SP

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

American Flight Services

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Reading → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD05LA130

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to attain a proper touchdown point as a result of the airplane's excessive airspeed. A factor was the partial loss of engine power due to a seized exhaust valve.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While in cruise flight, the airplane's engine lost partial power and began to "run rough." The pilot elected to fly the airplane to a nearby airport. Because he was concerned that the engine might stop producing power, the pilot flew a higher than normal traffic pattern, landed with excessive speed, and subsequently overran the runway. The airplane then impacted a utility pole and a tree, resulting in substantial damage. Examination of the engine revealed that the number two cylinder exhaust valve had seized, which resulted in the partial loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.