Cessna 172 N20747

Summary

On 11 September 2024 at about 15:40 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N20747, operated by ATP Flight School, was involved in an accident near Englewood, Colorado, United States. 2 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

11 September 2024 at 15:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Englewood, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

39.5447, -104.8489

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N20747

Category

Airplane

Year built

2020

Engines

1

Operator

ATP Flight School

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN24LA350

1 person had minor injuries.

A partial loss of engine power due to fuel-oil contamination of the fuel injection servo.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While performing touch-and-go landings, the flight instructor and student pilot noticed a partial loss of engine power on climbout, about 200 ft above ground level (agl). The flight instructor reported the tachometer read 2,100 and then 1,600 rpm. During a forced landing to a golf course, the airplane’s nose landing gear collapsed and the airplane came to rest inverted. A postimpact test of the engine’s fuel injection servo found fuel flow below the minimum service limit at most test points. When the servo was disassembled, a thick blue liquid consistent with a fuel-oil mixture was found in the venturi chambers. Oil residue was noted in the hex plug and air diaphragm, the spring and stem assembly, and the air passage to the air diaphragm. No other anomalies were detected with the engine. A service bulletin from the fuel injection servo manufacturer states that this type of contamination could cause an engine to exhibit “gradually deteriorating idle, difficulty starting and/or cold engine acceleration performance.” The flight school was aware of the service bulletin and was inspecting airplanes that had the engine symptoms listed in the service bulletin. It is likely that contamination of the fuel injection servo resulted in a partial loss of engine power and subsequent forced landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.