Cessna 172B N8141X

Summary

On 18 August 2013 at about 17:00 local time, a Cessna 172B registered N8141X was involved in an accident near Sisters, Oregon, 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

18 August 2013 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Sisters, Oregon, United States

Coordinates

44.5544, -121.8586

Aircraft

Cessna 172B

Registration

N8141X

Category

Airplane

Year built

1961

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lebanon → Lebanon

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR13LA378

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power during cruise flight for reasons that could not be determined because the engine was not properly preserved to prevent corrosion after the wreckage was recovered from the lake.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was flying over a heavily wooded, remote area when the engine lost power. He restarted the engine several times, and each time the engine ran for a shorter period of time. Eventually unable to restart the engine, the pilot chose to ditch the airplane in a lake rather than descend into trees. The airplane sank in about 8 feet of water and came to rest at the bottom of the lake. The airplane was eventually recovered from the lake, but the engine was not properly preserved to prevent corrosion. The pilot reported no preimpact malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.