20011204033719A

(.19) On December 4, 2001, about 2215 hours pacific standard time, a Cessna 172C, N1834Y, lost engine power during an attempted go-around and collided with the ground off the departure end of the runway at the Corona Municipal Airport, Corona, California. The airplane, operated by the owner under the provisions of 14 CFR part 91, sustained substantial damage. The private pilot, student pilot/owner, and a passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight that departed the henderson airport, las vegas, Nevada, about 2100. The flight was scheduled to terminate at Corona. No flight plan had been filed. According to the student pilot, no discrepancies were noted with the airplane on the flight to henderson from Corona or the return flight. He had refueled the airplane prior to departure from henderson. The student pilot reported that he was the pilot flying the airplane; however, the other pilot was the pilot-in-command. He stated that he switched the fuel selector to the both position about 5,500 feet over ontario. He further stated that he does not visually verify the position the fuel selector handle is in, he does it by feel. On short final he noted that they were too high and coming in too fast, so he initiated a go-around. He stated that the engine did not respond. The safety board investigator interviewed the private pilot. He stated that the student pilot was the pilot-in-command and was flying the airplane at the time the accident occurred. In the private pilot's written statement to the safety board, he reported that during an attempted go-around due to an "unsafe landing," the engine provided power to an altitude of 80 feet mean sea level, at which point the engine quit. He stated that the throttle was pumped several times; however, the engine did not restart. Due to trees off the departure end of the runway, the student pilot maneuvered the airplane to the ground in order to miss the trees. The airplane hit nose wheel first and dug into the mud and water. The nose wheel sheared off and the airplane came to an abrupt stop. The private pilot stated that the approach was too fast and too high, which precipitated the go-around event. He further indicated that there was an altitude restriction while transiting ontario airspace for arriving traffic. According to the first responders, they smelled an odor of fuel, but were unable to see a leak. The airport manager stated that the airplane was observed in a nose down attitude. When he opened the fuel caps for each wing he was able to feel fuel in both tanks. He indicated that he could not determine how much fuel was on board due to the nose and wing low attitude. The safety board investigator inspected the airframe and power plant with assistance from teledyne Continental motors, who was a party to the investigation. The inspection revealed that the fuel line to the gascolator was broken at the attach point, the left fuel tank was empty, and the right fuel tank contained fuel. The underside of the fuselage in the area of the fuel selector valve had been compromised during the emergency landing. The fuel selector handle was free spinning in its assembly. The unit was disassembled and the fuel selector handle stem was broken just above the level of the valve body. The observed fracture was at a 45-degree angle, and the break area was smooth in appearance. The unit that the houses the fuel selector was removed from the floor board and the fuel selector valve position was observed to be on the left tank. The throttle, mixture, and carburetor handles were observed in the full forward position. Mechanical continuity was established throughout the engine. The top spark plugs were removed. According to the champion aviation check-a-plug chart AV-27, the spark plugs were consistent with lead fouled operation. Manual crankshaft rotation produced thumb compression in each cylinder in firing order. During manual rotation of the crankshaft it was also noted that the ignition leads produced spark in firing order. The carburetor was removed and inspected. The carburetor bowl was found empty, and no foreign debris was noted inside the carburetor or associated components. The placards on the fuel selector were worn and unreadable. According to the METAR observation at the riverside airport, about 10 statute miles from Corona, the temperature/dew point spread was respectively 45 degrees fahrenheit/41 degrees fahrenheit. According to the carburetor icing probability chart, the conditions were conducive to serious icing - cruise or climb power. (-23) on December 4, 2001, at approximately 2215 hours aircraft attempted a landing touching down at Corona Municipal Airport bouncing several times. The pilot attempted a go-around in which the initial throttle input produced engine power and climbed to approximately 100' AGL where the engine subsequently lost power and propeller rotation stopped. Aircraft touched back down on west end of runway and came to rest in a grassy area. Post accident investigation revealed that the aircraft fuel selector valve was in the left tank position and the left tank was verified to have no usable fuel.