Cessna 172 N294ME

Summary

On 29 January 2018 at about 14:28 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N294ME, operated by 30 Aviation Inc., was involved in an accident near Babylon, New York, 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

29 January 2018 at 14:28

Classification

Accident

Location

Babylon, New York, United States

Coordinates

40.6214, -73.2733

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N294ME

Category

Airplane

Year built

2000

Engines

1

Operator

30 Aviation Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Farmingdale → Farmingdale

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA18LA074

Nobody was injured.

The partial loss of engine power after a simulated engine failure for reasons that could not be determined because a postaccident examination and an engine test run did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor reported that, during a local instructional flight along a coastline, he reduced engine power to idle when the airplane was at an altitude of about 2,000 ft above ground level and had the student pilot perform the checklist for an in-flight engine failure. As part of the simulated event, the student also performed the checklist for "unable to start engine." As the airplane reached an altitude of about 1,000 ft above ground level, the student increased engine power to recover, at which time the engine produced about 1,500 rpm and then returned to idle, even as the throttle was further increased. The flight instructor immediately took the flight controls. He turned off the magnetos and the engine. He then turned on the electric fuel pump for 2 seconds and attempted to restart the engine, but the engine produced only partial power. The flight instructor then performed a forced landing to a clearing on a beach. During the landing roll, the airplane's nosewheel sunk into the sand, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane's right wing and fuselage sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal evidence of any preexisting mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. A postaccident test run of the airplane's engine revealed that it started and operated normally at various power settings up to 2,000 rpm. Thus, given the available evidence, the reason(s) for the partial loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.