Cessna 170 N4216V

Summary

On 8 October 2013 at about 14:30 local time, a Cessna 170 registered N4216V was involved in an accident near Ridgely, Maryland, 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

8 October 2013 at 14:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Ridgely, Maryland, United States

Nearest airport

Ridgely Airpark (RJD)

Coordinates

38.9700, -75.8664

Aircraft

Cessna 170

Registration

N4216V

Category

Airplane

Year built

1948

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ridgely → Ridgely

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA14LA050

Nobody was injured.

A total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane had not been flown for about 8 months. Before departing to practice landings at the airport, the pilot/owner added aviation gasoline to the airplane's fuel tanks, which also contained automotive gasoline that had been added about 6 to 8 months previously. While on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, the airplane experienced a sudden, total loss of engine power. The pilot was not able to restart the engine or land on the runway, so he performed a forced landing to a field. During the landing, the airplane struck a ditch and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The airplane had been operated for about 6 hours since its most recent documented annual inspection, which was performed about 3 years before the accident. The pilot reported that he found water in the airplane's fuel system the day before the accident but that fuel samples taken before the flight were not contaminated. Examination of the engine did not reveal evidence of any catastrophic engine malfunction; however, at the time of the examination, the engine and wings had been removed from the fuselage, which precluded an examination of the airplane's fuel system.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.