Cessna 172N N4773G

Summary

On 12 July 2009 at about 16:45 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N4773G, operated by New England Flight Operations LLC, was involved in an accident near Rochester, Massachusetts, United States. 4 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

12 July 2009 at 16:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Rochester, Massachusetts, United States

Coordinates

41.7217, -70.8014

Aircraft

Cessna 172N

Registration

N4773G

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

New England Flight Operations LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Nashua → Vineyard Haven

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09LA399

Nobody was injured.

An engine vibration as reported by the pilot, for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the airplane was in cruise flight when the engine developed sporadic engine vibrations. Manipulation of the carburetor heat and mixture controls did not remedy the situation and the engine subsequently developed a severe vibration. The pilot then elected to reduce engine power and perform a precautionary landing to a field. The airplane touched down in a cranberry bog, and sustained substantial firewall and airframe damage. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions. It was noted that the No. 2 cylinder lower spark plug was fouled and that the compression on the No. 4 cylinder was lower than that of cylinders 1, 2 and 3; however, the reason for the severe engine vibration could not be determined. The airplane had been operated for approximately 74 hours since its most recent 100 hour inspection, which was performed about two months prior to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.