Cessna 172M N61736

Summary

On 30 June 2008 at about 19:50 local time, a Cessna 172M registered N61736 was involved in an accident near Oakland, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 June 2008 at 19:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Oakland, California, United States

Coordinates

37.7211, -122.2206

Aircraft

Cessna 172M

Registration

N61736

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hayward → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA08LA155

2 people had minor injuries.

A loss of engine power due to oil starvation. The oil starvation event was due to the failure of maintenance personnel to tighten the mounting bolts for the newly installed vacuum pump.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During cruise flight, the pilot noticed the engine was running rough along with a surge in power. He adjusted the mixture to the full rich position, which seemed to smooth the roughness. A few seconds later, he noticed that the engine oil temperature gauge was rising and he diverted towards a nearby airport. The pilot stated that while en route to the airport, the engine lost power and he initiated a forced landing to an open lot near his position. During the landing roll, the airplane struck a large mound of dirt. Examination of the airplane revealed structural damage to the fuselage. Only residual oil was found in the engine. Examination of the engine revealed evidence of an internal oil starvation induced catastrophic failure. The nuts securing the vacuum pump to the mounting pad were loose. About 10 psi of compressed air was applied to the oil cooler inlet port on the engine. Bubbling oil was observed originating from the vacuum pump mounting pad. No further anomalies were noted. Review of maintenance records revealed that the vacuum pump was replaced prior to the accident flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.