Cessna 172 N99442

Summary

On 29 April 2024 at about 20:45 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N99442, operated by Florida Aviation Career Training Inc, was involved in an accident near Palatka, Florida, United States. One person was 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 April 2024 at 20:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Palatka, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Palatka Muni - Lt Kay Larkin F (28J)

Coordinates

29.6578, -81.7297

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N99442

Category

Airplane

Year built

1985

Engines

1

Operator

Florida Aviation Career Training Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Saint Augustine → Palatka

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA24LA198

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the nose oil seal to remain secure in the engine crankcase, which resulted in a loss of engine oil and partial 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 reported that when attempting to climb from his cruise altitude to an altitude at which he could begin a practice approach, the engine began to run rough and climb performance deteriorated. He discontinued the practice approach and turned direct to the airport; checking his instruments, he saw that the engine oil pressure was low and "in the red.” While proceeding to the airport, the engine performance continued to degrade, and the pilot was unable to maintain altitude. About 2 miles from the airport, the pilot realized he would not be able to make the runway and performed a forced landing in a field. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage during the landing. Postaccident examination of the engine found the nose oil seal was protruding about 3/8 inch out of the recess in the crankcase, which allowed engine oil to be expelled from the crankcase and resulted in the loss of oil pressure. The crankshaft main journals and bearings and the rod journals and bearings exhibited light scoring. This was likely due to the lack of oil for lubrication and resulted in the power loss that the pilot experienced as the journals and bearings began to overheat. The engine had been operated for about 6,089 hours during the 19-year period since its last overhaul. The engine manufacturer recommended overhaul at 12 years or 2,000 hours of operation, whichever occurred first. Had the engine been overhauled in accordance with the engine manufacturer’s recommendations the nose oil seal would have been replaced, and it is likely that it would have remained secure.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.