Cessna R172K N758FQ

Summary

On 5 January 2008 at about 20:45 local time, a Cessna R172K registered N758FQ, operated by Neil T. Wallace, was involved in an accident near Spotsylvania, Virginia, United States. One person was on board and one 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

5 January 2008 at 20:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Spotsylvania, Virginia, United States

Coordinates

38.2022, -77.5875

Aircraft

Cessna R172K

Registration

N758FQ

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Neil T. Wallace

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mannasas → Newport News

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA08LA035

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to follow the checklist and failure to achieve the proper touchdown point during a forced landing. Contributing to the accident was a loss of engine power due to a cracked No. 4 top sparkplug insulator, resulting in pre-ignition/detonation and the failure of the No. 2 connecting rod cap due to evacuation of the oil supply.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he was on an IFR flight plan at 5,000 feet in VFR conditions, and in radio contact with approach control, when the engine started to run a little rough. A short time later, the pilot smelled fuel fumes and he was unable to determine the source. The pilot informed approach control that he needed to land, initiated a forced landing, and the engine stopped less than a minute later. The pilot stated that he elected not to make a traffic pattern. He used 10 degrees of flaps, the airplane touched down long about halfway down the field at about 90 knots, and collided with a fence and trees. Examination of the forced landing area revealed it was 1,050 feet long and other suitable forced landing areas were available in the immediate vicinity. The Pilot Operators Manual stated full flaps were recommended with an airspeed of 65 knots, and the landing distance required was 610 feet. Examination of the landing area revealed the airplane collided with a 3 to 4-foot tall fence pole 900 feet down the forced landing area before colliding with trees. The airplane traveled 1,100 feet before coming to a stop. The engine was transported to the manufacturer and disassembled. Examination of the engine revealed the No. 4 top spark plug insulator was cracked near the electrode. The No. 4 piston exhibited burn through erosion signatures consistent with a pre-ignition/detonation event allowing excessive crankcase pressure. The oil supply was evacuated through the crankcase breather resulting in the failure of the No. 2 connecting rod cap and loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.