Cessna 172S N154ME

Summary

On 26 June 2018 at about 17:20 local time, a Cessna 172S registered N154ME was involved in an accident near Phoenix, Arizona, United States. 3 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

26 June 2018 at 17:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Phoenix, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Phoenix Deer Valley (DVT)

Coordinates

33.7842, -112.1378

Aircraft

Cessna 172S

Registration

N154ME

Category

Airplane

Year built

2000

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Phoenix → Phoenix

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR18LA181

1 person had minor injuries.

A total loss of engine power due to crankshaft failure as the result of a subsurface fatigue crack.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While maneuvering during a local instructional flight, the engine began running rough, and the instructor decided to return to the airport. The engine subsequently lost total power and the propeller stopped rotating. The instructor performed a forced landing to a clearing where the airplane nosed over, resulting in substantial damage. Examination of the engine revealed that the crankshaft was fractured at the No. 4 connecting rod journal. The fracture surface was flat and crack arrest lines were consistent with a fatigue fracture which initiated subsurface. No flaws or embedded particles were observed at the site of the fatigue initiation.  The engine was overhauled about 3 years before the accident and had accumulated 2,798 hours of operation since the overhaul.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.