Cessna R172K N758GY

Summary

On 17 October 2011 at about 15:00 local time, a Cessna R172K registered N758GY was involved in an accident near Williamsburg, Virginia, 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

17 October 2011 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Williamsburg, Virginia, United States

Coordinates

37.3392, -76.7564

Aircraft

Cessna R172K

Registration

N758GY

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Williamsburg → Williamsburg

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12LA033

Nobody was injured.

A total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and his passenger were on their way back from 1-hour personal flight. According to the pilot, as the airplane was descending through 1,500 feet into the traffic pattern, the engine lost power, but the propeller continued to windmill. The pilot performed a forced landing to an open field, but during the landing the left wing collided with the corner of the parking garage before it came to rest in a parking lot. Postaccident examination of the airplane’s fuel system did not reveal any discrepancy that would have precluded normal engine operation. An estimated 20 gallons of fuel was recovered, which was equally distributed between the airplane’s left and right wing fuel tanks. The engine was test run and it operated satisfactorily. The examination of the mechanical components of the airplane and engine did not reveal any discrepancies that would account for the sudden loss of engine power. Cylinder head and exhaust gas temperatures data retrieved for the airplane’s onboard engine data monitoring unit was consistent with a sudden stop of fuel or ignition supply to the engine at the time of loss of power. The reason for the sudden stop of fuel or ignition supply could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.