Cessna 172XP N758HP

Summary

On 20 June 2014 at about 21:00 local time, a Cessna 172XP registered N758HP, operated by Eich Todd A, was involved in an accident near St. Cloud, Minnesota, United States. 3 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

20 June 2014 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

St. Cloud, Minnesota, United States

Coordinates

45.5500, -94.1667

Aircraft

Cessna 172XP

Registration

N758HP

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

1

Operator

Eich Todd A

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

St. Cloud → St. Cloud

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN14LA320

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain the proper airspeed and angle-of-attack after a partial loss of engine power on takeoff, which resulted in a stall and the subsequent impact with water. Contributing to the accident was the partial loss of engine power due to the No. 3 cylinder not producing compression 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 pilot reported that everything was normal when he conducted a preflight inspection and engine run-up of the single-engine, float-equipped airplane before takeoff from a lake. The airplane departed, and, as it began to climb, the engine started to lose power. The airplane then stalled, the left wing dropped and struck the water, and the airplane flipped inverted and eventually sank. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that, when the propeller was rotated manually, all of the engine cylinders, except for the No. 3 cylinder, produced compression. The intake valve, exhaust valve, and rocker arm moved when the propeller was rotated. No further examination of the engine was conducted, and the reason for the No. 3 cylinder's failure to produce compression could not be determined. It is likely that, as the engine began to lose power, the pilot did not maintain the proper airspeed or angle-of-attack, which led to a stall and the subsequent impact with water.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.