Cessna 172F N211FC

Summary

On 31 July 2016 at about 16:35 local time, a Cessna 172F registered N211FC was involved in an accident near Newark, Illinois, 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

31 July 2016 at 16:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Newark, Illinois, United States

Coordinates

41.5825, -88.5422

Aircraft

Cessna 172F

Registration

N211FC

Category

Airplane

Year built

1965

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Oshkosh → Morris

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN16LA297

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the No. 4 cylinder exhaust valve, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power and a forced landing. Contributing to the valve failure and loss of engine power was the extended time since the last overhaul.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was conducting a cross-country flight when the airplane had a partial loss of engine power during cruise flight. The pilot stated that the engine continued to run but that there was an excessive vibration and significant loss of power. The pilot's corrective actions did not restore normal engine operation, and he made a forced landing in a nearby field. The airplane's nose landing gear collapsed when it impacted a berm during the landing roll, and the airplane came to rest in a nose-down attitude with structural damage to the lower fuselage. A postaccident engine examination revealed a failure of the No. 4 cylinder exhaust valve. About 1/2 of the No. 4 exhaust valve was located during the examination, and the recovered portions exhibited significant impact damage. The failure of the No. 4 cylinder exhaust valve would have resulted in a significant loss of engine power during the flight. The engine had accumulated 2,146.9 hours since its last major overhaul, which was completed more than 27 years before the accident. According to available maintenance documentation, the No. 4 cylinder exhaust valve had not been repaired or replaced since the last major overhaul. According to the engine manufacturer, the recommended time between overhaul (TBO) is every 1,800 hours or 12 years, whichever occurs first; however, the operator was not required to comply with the recommended TBO interval under current regulations due to the type of operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.