# Accident 20011004028909A: Cessna 172M, Whitestone, VA, October 4, 2001 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: October 4, 2001, 07:45 local time - Place: Whitestone, VA - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 37.6397° N, 76.3891° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.6397&lon=-76.3891&mi=10 - Aircraft: N80562, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N80562-2002-05-08) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 172M (registry code 2072418, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172m) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 172M - Reported engine: LYC O360A4M - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 40,000 total, 26,000 in this make and model, 250 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB IAD02LA003](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD02LA003) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20011004028909A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (-23) PILOT WAS SPOTTING FISH WHILE FLYING OVER CHESAPEAKE BAY. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE ENGINE CEASED TO OPERATE, AND HE MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN THE BAY IN ABOUT 60 FEET WATER DEPTH. THE AIRCRAFT WILL NOT BE RETRIEVED DUE TO ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. (.4) ON OCTOBER 4, 2001, AT 0745 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 172M, N80562, WAS DESTROYED AFTER IT DITCHED IN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY ABOUT 5 MILES EAST OF WHITE STONE, VIRGINIA. THE CERTIFICATED COMMERCIAL PILOT SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE FIGHT THAT ORIGINATED AT REEDVILLE AIRPORT (VA98), REEDVILLE, VIRGINIA, AT 0700. NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE FISH SPOTTING FLIGHT CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE DEPARTED WITH 20 GALLONS OF FUEL ONBOARD. ABOUT 45-MINUTES INTO THE FLIGHT, AT AN ALTITUDE OF 2,500 FEET, THE ENGINE STOPPED PRODUCING POWER. IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT, HE SAID: "MY ENGINE GOT ROUGH THEN STARTED TO SHAKE, STARTED LOSING ALTITUDE - COULDN'T MAKE IT TO LAND. I TOLD THE OTHER SPOTTERS MY ENGINE WAS GOING OUT AND I COULD NOT MAKE IT TO SHORE, THAT I WAS GOING TO PUT THE PLANE IN THE WATER ALONG SIDE THE S HEARWATER. I PULLED THE PLANE UP AT LAST MINUTE AND MY TAIL HIT FIRST, THEN MY MAIN GEAR - THE AIRCRAFT HIT AND FLIPPED AND SANK IN LESS THAN 15-20 SECONDS. I CAME OUT OF PLANE ABOUT 3 OR 4 SECONDS AFTER IMPACT. THE SHEARWATER CREW GOT ME OUT OF THE WATER." ACCORDING TO THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT, THE PILOT REPORTED, "THAT THE ENGINE STARTED RUNNING ROUGH AND STARTED MISSING, AND THEN LOST POWER AND STOPPED RUNNING." THE PILOT ESTIMATED THAT THE AIRPLANE LANDED IN 50-FOOT DEEP WATER. DUE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS, THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT RECOVERED. A FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) INSPECTOR INTERVIEWED THE PILOT. ACCORDING TO THE INSPECTOR, THE PILOT DID NOT KNOW WHAT CAUSED THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. WEATHER AT NEWPORT NEWS/WILLIAMSBURG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (PHF), NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA, ABOUT 34 NAUTICAL MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE ACCIDENT SITE, AT 0754, WAS REPORTED AS WINDS FROM 240 DEGREES AT 6 KNOTS, VISIBILITY 7 STATUTE MILES, SKY CLEAR, TEMPERATURE 60 DEGREES F, DEWPOINT 57 DEGREES F, AND ALTIMETER 30.12 INCHES HG. THE PILOT REPORTED A TOTAL OF 40,000 FLIGHT HOURS, OF WHICH 26,000 WERE IN MAKE AND MODEL. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB IAD02LA003](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD02LA003), Oct 4, 2001: Cessna 172M (N80562), White Stone, VA, substantial damage. Probable cause: loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.