Cessna 172C N8856B

Summary

On 9 December 2017 at about 15:45 local time, a Cessna 172C registered N8856B was involved in an accident near Algona, Iowa, 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

9 December 2017 at 15:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Algona, Iowa, United States

Nearest airport

Algona Municipal Airport (AXA)

Coordinates

43.0781, -94.2719

Aircraft

Cessna 172C

Registration

N8856B

Category

Airplane

Year built

1958

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Algona → Eagle Grove

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN18LA051

Nobody was injured.

The No. 1 cylinder head separating at the cylinder head-to-barrel interface and the subsequent total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After takeoff for an instructional flight, when the airplane reached 1,800 ft mean sea level, the student pilot began a left turn toward the destination. Shortly after, the engine went silent and stopped producing power. The flight instructor took control, slowed the airplane, and landed into the wind on a gravel road. During the landing roll, the left wheel caught the edge of the road, and the airplane veered into a ditch, which resulted in substantial damage to the wing and fuselage. Examination of the airplane revealed that the engine's No. 1 cylinder head had separated at the cylinder head-to-barrel interface. The engine had accumulated 605.9 hours since the last engine overhaul, which was conducted over 23 years before the accident. The engine manufacturer's recommended time between overhaul for the accident engine was 1,800 hours or 12 years. However, it could not be determined if the lack of an overhaul within the manufacturer's recommended overhaul period led to the No. 1 cylinder head separating at the cylinder head-to-barrel interface.  

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.