20121207029059I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 172P · Mason, TX · December 7, 2012

Date: December 7, 2012 · 01:00 local
Place: Mason, TX
Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N253RA
Reported as: Cessna 172P
Reported engine: Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,600 total1,500 in this make and model250 in the last 90 days

N253RARegistered now · Cessna 172PS/N 17274790 · Built 1981 Airframe modelCessna 172P Engine modelLycoming 0-320 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.

Pilot was at cruise when he noticed noise at front of aircraft then noise turned into a hard vibration and smoke coming from the front cowl. The propeller was under extreme load. Pilot decided to make an engine off landing on a county road. Aircraft landed safely without incident. It was determined the spinner had separated from the spinner bulkhead.

A mechanic was dispatched to make repairs to the aircraft. The entire propeller assembly was removed and replaced. Aircraft engine runup and operations checks were completed.

Pilot took off from county road and flew aircraft to reynolds aviation headquarters beach city Texas.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT WAS AT CRUISE WHEN HE NOTICED NOISE AT FRONT OF AIRCRAFT THEN NOISE TURNED INTO A HARD VIBRATION AND SMOKE COMING FROM THE FRONT COWL. THE PROPELLER WAS UNDER EXTREME LOAD. PILOT DECIDED TO MAKE AN ENGINE OFF LANDING ON A COUNTY ROAD. AIRCRAFT LANDED SAFELY WITHOUT INCIDENT. IT WAS DETERMINED THE SPINNER HAD SEPARATED FROM THE SPINNER BULKHEAD.

A MECHANIC WAS DISPATCHED TO MAKE REPAIRS TO THE AIRCRAFT. THE ENTIRE PROPELLER ASSEMBLY WAS REMOVED AND REPLACED. AIRCRAFT ENGINE RUNUP AND OPERATIONS CHECKS WERE COMPLETED.

PILOT TOOK OFF FROM COUNTY ROAD AND FLEW AIRCRAFT TO REYNOLDS AVIATION HEADQUARTERS BEACH CITY TEXAS.