Cessna 172P N65497

Summary

On 2 June 2022 at about 23:03 local time, a Cessna 172P registered N65497, operated by Golf Aero Flight School, was involved in an accident near Ennis, Texas, 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

2 June 2022 at 23:03

Classification

Accident

Location

Ennis, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Ennis Municipal Airport (F41)

Coordinates

32.3384, -96.6651

Aircraft

Cessna 172P

Registration

N65497

Category

Airplane

Year built

1982

Engines

1

Operator

Golf Aero Flight School

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Arlington → Ennis

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN22LA230

Nobody was injured.

A partial loss of engine power for reasons that were undetermined.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor and pilot observed the engine power decrease about 200 rpm on two occasions while en route. The pilot flew an approach and then a go-around due to excess airspeed during the approach. When the throttle and carburetor heat controls were fully advanced, the engine power only increased to about 2,000 rpm. The flight instructor attempted to increase engine power without success. During the forced landing to a field the airplane hit a tree, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing. Examination of the engine revealed normal engine continuity and compression was confirmed on all 4 cylinders. Several hold down studs on the No. 1 cylinder were fractured and their separated pieces were found in the bottom of the cowling. No other anomalies were observed that would have precluded normal engine operation. No impact damage occurred in the vicinity of the engine and investigators could not determine when these studs separated; however, it is unlikely that the separated studs resulted in the slight loss of engine power noted by the pilot and flight instructor. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to serious carburetor icing at glide power. The flight instructor recalled pulling the carburetor heat lever out during the approach, therefore, it is unlikely that carburetor icing resulted in the loss of engine power. Investigators were not able to determine the reason for the loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.