19951022043809I

Incident

FAA incident report · Cessna 172B · Hartsville, SC · October 22, 1995

Date: October 22, 1995 · 18:15 local
Place: Hartsville, SC
Phase of flight: Descent
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Aircraft: N3589S
Reported as: Cessna 172B
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 493 total375 in this make and model26 in the last 90 days

N3589SRegistered now · Cessna 172ES/N 17250789 · Built 1963 Airframe modelCessna 172E Engine modelContinental 0-300 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: during descent into Hartsville the engine began to vibrate violently, then it stopped. The pilot landed the airplane in a soybean field 5.65 miles west of the airport. There were no injuries or damage to the aircraft. The oil cap was not on the engine. Engine oil was streaking along the left side of the aircraft. The pilot reported the oil cap came off once before and he purchased a new cap a year before the incident. The oil cap installed was retained by a chain attachaed to the oil filler neck. During investigations, it was determined that the oil cap did not have a positive lock after it was secured on the filler tube..

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: DURING DESCENT INTO HARTSVILLE THE ENGINE BEGAN TO VIBRATE VIOLENTLY, THEN IT STOPPED. THE PILOT LANDED THE AIRPLANE IN A SOYBEAN FIELD 5.65 MILES WEST OF THE AIRPORT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. THE OIL CAP WAS NOT ON THE ENGINE. ENGINE OIL WAS STREAKING ALONG THE LEFT SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT REPORTED THE OIL CAP CAME OFF ONCE BEFORE AND HE PURCHASED A NEW CAP A YEAR BEFORE THE INCIDENT. THE OIL CAP INSTALLED WAS RETAINED BY A CHAIN ATTACHAED TO THE OIL FILLER NECK. DURING INVESTIGATIONS, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE OIL CAP DID NOT HAVE A POSITIVE LOCK AFTER IT WAS SECURED ON THE FILLER TUBE..