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20170916019499I

Incident · No damage
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FAA incident report · Cessna 172E · Sherman, TX · September 16, 2017

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
September 16, 2017 · 13:10 local
Place
Sherman, TX
Phase of flight
Descent
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N3701S
Reported as
Cessna 172E
Reported engine
Continental 0-300 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
393 total170 in this make and model13 in the last 90 days
N3701SRegistration cancelled Sep 7, 2018 · Cessna 172ES/N 17250901 · Built 1963Airframe modelCessna 172EEngine modelContinental 0-300 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.

The airman had purchased the airplane three days earlier in the state of California and was flying it home to the state of new york. According to the airman, while enroute to the Sherman municipal airport (kswi) for a fuel stop, smoke appeared in the cabin during the enroute descent. The airman shut off the master switch but the smoke did not subside. When the engine began to run rough, the airman pulled back the throttle. At this time, the airman realized the airport was beyond gliding distance and proceeded to execute an emergency landing on a clear field. No damage or injuries appeared to have occurred during the emergency landing. The on-site inspection revealed an extensive oil loss with oil smeared all over the inside of the engine cowling and streaks of oil spreading back and down outside of the oil service door on the left side of the airplane nose. The airman stated to a local mechanic who came to the scene, when the airman opened the cowling oil service door immediately after the emergency landing, the oil cap was off and the airman put it back on. Later, a general visual inspection by an airworthiness inspector found no evidence of oil leakage from the engine, confirming the probable cause that the oil loss was due to an oil cap not secured properly.

As the FAA filed it

THE AIRMAN HAD PURCHASED THE AIRPLANE THREE DAYS EARLIER IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA AND WAS FLYING IT HOME TO THE STATE OF NEW YORK. ACCORDING TO THE AIRMAN, WHILE ENROUTE TO THE SHERMAN MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (KSWI) FOR A FUEL STOP, SMOKE APPEARED IN THE CABIN DURING THE ENROUTE DESCENT. THE AIRMAN SHUT OFF THE MASTER SWITCH BUT THE SMOKE DID NOT SUBSIDE. WHEN THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH, THE AIRMAN PULLED BACK THE THROTTLE. AT THIS TIME, THE AIRMAN REALIZED THE AIRPORT WAS BEYOND GLIDING DISTANCE AND PROCEEDED TO EXECUTE AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON A CLEAR FIELD. NO DAMAGE OR INJURIES APPEARED TO HAVE OCCURRED DURING THE EMERGENCY LANDING. THE ON-SITE INSPECTION REVEALED AN EXTENSIVE OIL LOSS WITH OIL SMEARED ALL OVER THE INSIDE OF THE ENGINE COWLING AND STREAKS OF OIL SPREADING BACK AND DOWN OUTSIDE OF THE OIL SERVICE DOOR ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE AIRPLANE NOSE. THE AIRMAN STATED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO CAME TO THE SCENE, WHEN THE AIRMAN OPENED THE COWLING OIL SERVICE DOOR IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE EMERGENCY LANDING, THE OIL CAP WAS OFF AND THE AIRMAN PUT IT BACK ON. LATER, A GENERAL VISUAL INSPECTION BY AN AIRWORTHINESS INSPECTOR FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF OIL LEAKAGE FROM THE ENGINE, CONFIRMING THE PROBABLE CAUSE THAT THE OIL LOSS WAS DUE TO AN OIL CAP NOT SECURED PROPERLY.