20140603009899A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Cessna 172N · Padre Island, TX · June 3, 2014

Date
June 3, 2014 · 15:15 local
Place
Padre Island, TX
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N734BY
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN14LA276
Reported as
Cessna 172N
Reported engine
Lycoming 0360
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
1
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
400 total250 in this make and model100 in the last 90 days

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 in cruise when engine began to lose power, diverted towards inland and declared mayday, landed on sand flats that appeared to look hard but was actually soft muddy sand. Aircraft rolled approx 100 yards until nose gear dug in and aircraft flip over.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT IN CRUISE WHEN ENGINE BEGAN TO LOSE POWER, DIVERTED TOWARDS INLAND AND DECLARED MAYDAY, LANDED ON SAND FLATS THAT APPEARED TO LOOK HARD BUT WAS ACTUALLY SOFT MUDDY SAND. AIRCRAFT ROLLED APPROX 100 YARDS UNTIL NOSE GEAR DUG IN AND AIRCRAFT FLIP OVER.

NTSB investigation

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