# Incident 20140107000049I: Cessna 172RG, Anchorage, AK, January 7, 2014 - Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: January 7, 2014, 13:15 local time - Place: Anchorage, AK - Airport: Merrill Field - Damage: Minor damage - Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Operator: BR8S - Location: 61.2135° N, 149.8447° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at MERRILL FLD (MRI), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=61.2135&lon=-149.8447&mi=10 - Aircraft: N9553B, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9553B-2014-06-30) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 172RG (registry code 2072438, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172rg) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series (registry code 41514, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 172RG - Reported engine: LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER - People aboard: 3 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor - Pilot flight hours: 720 total, 30 in this make and model, 150 in the last 90 days - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140107000049I ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ARRIVED ON SCENE AT APPROXIMATELY 1405L ON 1/7/14. WE FOUND CESSNA 172RG (N9553B) IN THE MEDIAN OF BONIFACE PARKWAY APPROXIMATELY 1/3 OF A MILE SOUTH OF THE DEBARR RD INTERSECTION. THE PIC AND PILOT FLYING AT THE TIME (RIGHT SEAT) WAS A CFI WITH ABOUT 720 TOTAL HOURS AND 25-30 FLIGHT TIME HOURS IN THE 172RG AND HAS BEEN A CFI SINCE APRIL OF 2013. DOM FOR LAND AND SEA AVIATION, (141 FLIGHT SCHOOL) WAS IN THE FRONT LEFT SEAT. A THIRD PERSON FLEW ON THE FLIGHT IN THE BACK SEAT. ACCORDING TO THE CREW AND POLICE THERE WERE NO INJURIES. BY ALL ACCOUNTS THE PIC MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING AFTER LOSING POWER/THRUST. THE MECHANIC SITTING IN THE FRONT LEFT SEAT STATED ?ALL TEMPS. WERE IN THE GREEN? AND HE THOUGHT THE ENGINE WAS PRODUCING POWER BUT SPECULATED THERE MAY BE AN ISSUE WITH THE PROPELLER GOVERNOR BECAUSE THE AIRCRAFT WASN?T PRODUCING ENOUGH THRUST TO KEEP FLYING. HE DID NOT THINK THIS HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH ICING. THE PIC SAID THE THROTTLE, RPM LEVER, AND MIXTURE HAD ALL BEEN FULL FORWARD. HE SAID CARBURETOR HEAT WAS ALSO IN THE FULL ?ON? POSITION AND THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS IN BOTH ?BOTH? POSITION. PIC SAID FUEL TANKS HAD BEEN VERY CLOSE TO FULL FOR TAKEOFF. BOTH PIC AND MECHANIC SAID THE AIRCRAFT NEVER QUIT RUNNING AND THEY ?SHUT EVERYTHING DOWN? AFTER THEY CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. WEATHER WAS NOT A FACTOR AS IT WAS VMC WITH CALM WINDS. PIC SAID THE AIRCRAFT ?DIDN?T FEEL RIGHT? ON TAKEOFF AND DIDN?T SEEM TO ACCELERATE NORMALLY. SHORTLY AFTER LEVEL OFF HE PULLED THE POWER BACK AND SET ?25/25? I.E. 2500 RPM AND 25? MANIFOLD PRESSURE. HE MENTIONED THE ENGINE WAS ?SURGING? AT ONE POINT BUT TOLD US LATER THAT IT DIDN?T SEEM LIKE AIRSPEED WAS CHANGING WITH THE SURGES; ONLY AN AUDIBLE CHANGE. HE SAID THAT AS THEY FLEW SOUTH ON THE CAMPBELL DEPARTURE HE BEGAN TO REALIZE THEY HAD A SERIOUS PROBLEM AND MADE THE DECISION TO TURN BACK TO THE NORTH; INITIALLY THE PLAN WAS TO FLY BACK TO MERRILL FIELD. HE STATED THAT THEY FLEW OVER CAMPBELL AIRSTRIP BUT DIDN?T WANT TO ATTEMPT A LANDING THERE BECAUSE HE ?DIDN?T WANT TO HIT TREES? AND ALSO STILL THOUGHT THEY COULD MAKE EITHER ELMENDORF AFB OR BACK TO MERRILL FIELD AT THAT TIME. AS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE THEY LINED UP WITH BONIFACE PARKWAY AND FLEW NORTH IN THE MEANTIME. PIC SAID THEY DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND WERE SENT BACK TO MERRILL TOWER FREQUENCY. EVENTUALLY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ REALIZED THEY WERE LOSING TOO MUCH ALTITUDE AND WERE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT BACK TO EITHER ELMENDORF AFB OR MERRILL FIELD. HE NOTICED A SECTION OF BONIFACE THAT SEEMED TO HAVE LESS TRAFFIC AND WAS AIMING FOR AN AREA IN BETWEEN TRAFFIC LIGHTS. AS THEY DESCENDED HE SAID HE WAS QUITE CONCERNED ABOUT THE TALL STREET LIGHTS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD, AND THERE WAS ALSO A VEHICLE IN THE RIGHT LANE. PIC STATED THAT THERE WAS NO TIME TO ACCOMPLISH ANY WRITTEN ?EMERGENCY LANDING? CHECKLIST BUT THOUGHT HE HAD ACCOMPLISHED ALL ITEMS FROM MEMORY. HE PUT THE LANDING GEAR DOWN AT THE ?LAST SECOND? BUT LANDED WITH THE FLAPS IN THE ?UP? POSITION. AFTER COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP HE SHUT EVERYTHING DOWN AND EGRESSED THE AIRCRAFT. ACCORDING TO POLICE, THE AIRCRAFT HAD TOUCHED DOWN 466? PRIOR TO COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP. THERE WAS DAMAGE TO BOTH PROPELLER TIPS ALONG WITH EVIDENCE OF PROPELLER STRIKES IN THE SNOW ALONG THE MEDIAN. THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR WAS DAMAGED/COLLAPSED AND TWISTED BACKWARDS. A FUEL LEAK ON THE LEFT WING HAD BEEN TEMPORARILY ?PATCHED? BY FIRST RESPONDERS (FIRE DEPARTMENT?). THE COCKPIT AREA REMAINED INTACT WITH NO VISIBLE DAMAGE. THERE WAS .4 HOURS ON THE HOBBS METER SINCE THE LAST FLIGHT. ## Other reports on N9553B (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 20120516009539I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120516009539I), May 16, 2012: Cessna 172RG (N9553B), Anchorage, AK, No damage. While at cruise the engine lost power, the pilot notified Anchorage approach of the situation and a emergency was declared. The pilot moved the fuel selector… 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.