Cessna 172 N5276U

Summary

On 1 August 2014 at about 17:20 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N5276U, operated by C.A.M.S Flight School, was involved in an accident near Apalachicola, Florida, 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

1 August 2014 at 17:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Apalachicola, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Apalachicola Regional (AAF)

Coordinates

29.7275, -85.0272

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N5276U

Category

Airplane

Year built

1980

Engines

1

Operator

C.A.M.S Flight School

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Apalachicola → Apalachicola

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA14LA374

1 person had minor injuries.

A total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined during postaccident examination and testing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot reported that the accident flight was the first flight since maintenance was performed after water was found in the fuel system. The pilot performed a preflight, sumped the fuel tanks with no water noted, and conducted an engine run-up with no anomalies noted. After takeoff, the pilot performed one circuit in the traffic pattern, and, during the final approach, he chose to perform a go-around. He applied full throttle, and the airplane began to climb, but the engine then lost total power. He subsequently turned the fuel pump on, applied carburetor heat, and began to "pump" the throttle. The engine started but then lost total power again. The pilot restarted the engine two more times, but, after it lost power again, he chose to perform a forced landing to a marsh, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. A postaccident examination of the engine confirmed engine continuity from the propeller flange to the engine's accessory section, and an engine test run was performed with no anomalies noted. The left tank fuel line to the engine was found partially blocked with "fresh" sealant-type material. However, a review of the maintenance records found no entries indicating when the sealant was applied to the fuel tank. The fuel selector was found in the "both" position. Given that the sealant was only partially blocking the fuel line and that both fuel tanks were feeding the engine, the blockage likely would not have affected the engine power. Although the weather conditions were conducive to the accumulation of serious carburetor icing at glide power at the time of the accident and the total loss of engine power occurred after the engine had been operating at a low-power setting for the descent on final approach, the investigation could not determine whether carburetor ice caused the total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.