Cessna 172RG N6102R

Summary

On 16 November 2017 at about 01:07 local time, a Cessna 172RG registered N6102R was involved in an accident near Opa Locka, Florida, United States. 2 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

16 November 2017 at 01:07

Classification

Accident

Location

Opa Locka, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Miami-Opa Locka Executive (OPF)

Coordinates

25.9075, -80.2783

Aircraft

Cessna 172RG

Registration

N6102R

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Opa Locka → Opa Locka

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ANC18LA009

Nobody was injured.

A failure of the airplane 's electrical system, which led to the failure of the landing gear system, for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination and testing revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Contributing to the accident were the inoperative landing gear unsafe warning horn and the low voltage warning light.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that while practicing instrument approaches for an upcoming checkride, she moved the landing gear selector to the down position, verified that the landing gear position light was illuminated green, set the flaps to 20°, and completed the before landing checklist. Shortly thereafter, when the airplane was about 500 ft above ground level (agl), the GPS blinked, and electrical power and radio communications were lost. When the airplane was about 150 ft agl, the lights on the airplane's instrument panel blinked and remained illuminated. The pilot selected flaps to 30° and configured the airplane for landing. The pilot then moved the landing light switch to the on position and again lost all electrical power. Upon touchdown, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane departed the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the right horizontal stabilizer. The pilot stated that no electrical or landing gear warning lights were illuminated for the duration of the flight. A postaccident examination revealed that the airplane's battery had been depleted. Further examination revealed no anomalies with the airplane's electrical charging system, landing gear system, or its actuators. However, both the landing gear unsafe horn and low voltage warning light were inoperable. Given that the landing gear unsafe horn and low voltage warning light were inoperable, it is unlikely that the pilot would have been alerted to an electrical system failure, which ultimately would have depleted the battery and affected the operation of the landing gear system.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.