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19971201035889A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Reims FR172J · Marietta, GA · December 1, 1997

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
December 1, 1997 · 11:05 local
Place
Marietta, GA
Phase of flight
Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N14493
NTSB investigation
NTSBMIA98LA037
Reported as
Reims FR172J
Reported engine
Continental IO360H
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
950 total5 in this make and model121 in the last 90 days
N14493Registration cancelled Jun 4, 1998 · Reims CESSNA FR172JS/N 0444Airframe modelReims CESSNA FR172J

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.

Lost power at cruise. Crashed in city. Engine oil cooler cracked. Lost oil thru rods. (.19) on December 1, 1997, about 1105 eastern standard time, a Cessna FR-172J, N14493, registered to the flight school of gwinnett, inc., operating as a 14 CFR part 91 ferry flight, experienced a loss of engine power during cruise flight about 10 miles southwest of dobbins air reserve base, Georgia. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The aircraft was destroyed, and the commercial pilot sustained minor injuries. The flight originated from gwinnett county/briscoe field, lawrenceville, Georgia, about 20 minutes before the accident. The pilot stated while in cruise flight at an altitude of 6,000 feet, under the control of atlanta approach control, the engine tachometer suddenly increased about 100 RPM and as he adjusted power, he experienced "hissing" and "banging" from the engine. Simultaneously, he experienced gradual RPM decay, cowling vibration, oil on the windscreen, and white smoke from under the cowl and in the cockpit. Upon notification of the problem, ATC gave the pilot an immediate vector toward dobbins arb. The pilot reali zed he could not make the airfield, and made a forced landing to a graded, terraced construction site, and came to rest in a wooded area. (.4)while in cruise flight, the engine began making banging and hissing sounds, emitting white smoke, and steadily losing power. The pilot requested vectors from ATC to the nearest airport, dobbins arb, but couldn't stretch his glide, and made a forced landing onto a construction site. The airplane came to a stop in trees and was destroyed. An ntsb-supervised teardown inspection revealed failure of the oil cooler core resulting in oil starvation. (-23) aircraft lost power at cruise alt. 6000 ft. unable to maintain flight. Unable to land at closest airport. Crash landed in a residential subdivision. Minor injury to pilot only.

As the FAA filed it

LOST POWER AT CRUISE. CRASHED IN CITY. ENGINE OIL COOLER CRACKED. LOST OIL THRU RODS. (.19) ON DECEMBER 1, 1997, ABOUT 1105 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, A CESSNA FR-172J, N14493, REGISTERED TO THE FLIGHT SCHOOL OF GWINNETT, INC., OPERATING AS A 14 CFR PART 91 FERRY FLIGHT, EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER DURING CRUISE FLIGHT ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, GEORGIA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULES FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED, AND THE COMMERCIAL PILOT SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM GWINNETT COUNTY/BRISCOE FIELD, LAWRENCEVILLE, GEORGIA, ABOUT 20 MINUTES BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT STATED WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT AT AN ALTITUDE OF 6,000 FEET, UNDER THE CONTROL OF ATLANTA APPROACH CONTROL, THE ENGINE TACHOMETER SUDDENLY INCREASED ABOUT 100 RPM AND AS HE ADJUSTED POWER, HE EXPERIENCED "HISSING" AND "BANGING" FROM THE ENGINE. SIMULTANEOUSLY, HE EXPERIENCED GRADUAL RPM DECAY, COWLING VIBRATION, OIL ON THE WINDSCREEN, AND WHITE SMOKE FROM UNDER THE COWL AND IN THE COCKPIT. UPON NOTIFICATION OF THE PROBLEM, ATC GAVE THE PILOT AN IMMEDIATE VECTOR TOWARD DOBBINS ARB. THE PILOT REALI ZED HE COULD NOT MAKE THE AIRFIELD, AND MADE A FORCED LANDING TO A GRADED, TERRACED CONSTRUCTION SITE, AND CAME TO REST IN A WOODED AREA. (.4)WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT, THE ENGINE BEGAN MAKING BANGING AND HISSING SOUNDS, EMITTING WHITE SMOKE, AND STEADILY LOSING POWER. THE PILOT REQUESTED VECTORS FROM ATC TO THE NEAREST AIRPORT, DOBBINS ARB, BUT COULDN'T STRETCH HIS GLIDE, AND MADE A FORCED LANDING ONTO A CONSTRUCTION SITE. THE AIRPLANE CAME TO A STOP IN TREES AND WAS DESTROYED. AN NTSB-SUPERVISED TEARDOWN INSPECTION REVEALED FAILURE OF THE OIL COOLER CORE RESULTING IN OIL STARVATION. (-23) AIRCRAFT LOST POWER AT CRUISE ALT. 6000 FT. UNABLE TO MAINTAIN FLIGHT. UNABLE TO LAND AT CLOSEST AIRPORT. CRASH LANDED IN A RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISION. MINOR INJURY TO PILOT ONLY.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB MIA98LA037Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportMarietta, GAA catastrophic failure of the oil cooler core which led to overboard porting of lubricating oil and subsequent engine failure.Dec 1, 1997 · Destroyed