Cessna 172S N184NW

Summary

On 10 May 2022 at about 21:26 local time, a Cessna 172S registered N184NW, operated by Northwestern Michigan College, was involved in an accident near Traverse City, Michigan, 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

10 May 2022 at 21:26

Classification

Accident

Location

Traverse City, Michigan, United States

Coordinates

44.7608, -85.5925

Aircraft

Cessna 172S

Registration

N184NW

Category

Airplane

Year built

2010

Engines

1

Operator

Northwestern Michigan College

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Gaylord → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN22LA194

Nobody was injured.

The failure of maintenance personnel to properly torque a fuel line “B” nut, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot receiving instruction was on a visual approach to the runway during an instructional flight, at which time the engine lost total power. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and made multiple attempts to restart the engine, which were unsuccessful. The flight instructor declared an emergency and executed a forced landing to a park area about 1 mile north of the runway. During the forced landing, the airplane impacted terrain and a perimeter fence. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the right wing and engine mount. Examination of the engine and fuel system revealed a loose “B” nut fitting on the fuel line between the fuel injector and fuel manifold. The engine had recently been installed by maintenance personnel; the airplane had flown about 2.7 hours after the installation and before the accident. There was no visible impact damage to the “B” nut on the line or the fitting. Given this evidence, the “B” nut on the fuel line was likely not properly tightened during engine installation, which allowed the nut to loosen with normal engine vibration and allowed air to enter the system which resulted in total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.