# Accident 20170731010209A: Cessna 172S, West Seattle, WA, July 31, 2017

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 31, 2017, 12:30 local time
- Place: West Seattle, WA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: Pilot school (Part 141)
- Operator: HUNS
- Location: 47.5486° N, 122.4014° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.5486&lon=-122.4014&mi=10
- Aircraft: N957TA, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N957TA-2018-01-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172S (registry code 2072439, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172s) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental IO-360 series (registry code 17025, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172S
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR IO-360-L2A
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 490 total, 50 in this make and model, 200 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR17LA176](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR17LA176) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20170731010209A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ENGINE HAD A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE DURING DESCENT TO BOEING FIELD WHEN THE CRANK SHAFT COMPLETELY SEPRATED AT APPROXIMATELY ITS MIDPOINT. INSTRUCTOR PILOT RECOGNIZED INITIAL INDICATIONS OF LOSS OF OIL PRESSURE AND LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT AND DIVERTED AND LANDED IN THE WATER ALONG, NEAR, AND PARALLEL TO THE ADJACENT SHORE. THE INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT MADE A VERY SUCCESSFUL EXIT FROM THE AIRCRAFT IN APPROXIMATELY 10' OF WATER.

## 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 WPR17LA176](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR17LA176), Jul 31, 2017: Cessna 172S (N957TA), Seattle, WA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The total loss of engine power due to oil starvation as a result of the loose right magneto, which allowed oil to escape and the engine to seize. Contributing to the accident was inadequate…

## Other reports on N957TA (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 20120306003149I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120306003149I), Mar 6, 2012: Cessna 172S (N957TA), Philip, SD, Minor damage. On March 6, 2012, a student pilot flew N957TA, a CE-172-S, on a cross country flight from pierre, SD to Philip, SD. The pilot was coming in for a touch and go…

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.

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