OpenAirDocs.org

20180731018439A

Accident · Substantial damage
Open the Markdown

FAA accident report · Cessna 172E · Independence, MO · July 31, 2018

FAA Aviation Safety Information PortalNTSB investigation search

© OpenStreetMap
Date
July 31, 2018 · 08:46 local
Place
Independence, MO
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N19FE
Reported as
Cessna 172E
Reported engine
Continental 0-300 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
1
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
1,356 total484 in this make and model50 in the last 90 days
N19FERegistration cancelled May 29, 2020 · Cessna 172ES/N 17251351 · Built 1964Airframe 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.

This aircraft departed airport 3GV (grain valley, MO) and traveled north west to perform fight instruction with the student pilot at the controls. During the flight the instructor pilot noted a small trace of oil on the windshield. Shortly after seeing the oil on the windshield he noticed the engine oil pressure had dropped below the green line on the indicator. At this point the instructor pilot took control of the aircraft and tried increasing throttle to see if the oil pressure would return to normal. Upon increasing the throttle, the oil pressure dropped to nearly zero. The instructor pilot elected to shut down the engine and perform an emergency landing in a nearby corn field which contained an established crop that was nearing maturity. Upon contact with the crop, the aircraft abruptly pitched nose down contacting the ground approximately 60 feet from initial impact with the crop then traveled approximately another 15 feet before coming to rest. The aircraft was found with oil on the lower side of the fuselage, left cabin door and a trace on the windscreen. When the interior of the engine compartment was examined oil was found on the back of the engine and on the engine firewall. The oil filler cap was found separated from the filler neck and the engine oil dipstick did not show signs of oil in the engine.

As the FAA filed it

THIS AIRCRAFT DEPARTED AIRPORT 3GV (GRAIN VALLEY, MO) AND TRAVELED NORTH WEST TO PERFORM FIGHT INSTRUCTION WITH THE STUDENT PILOT AT THE CONTROLS. DURING THE FLIGHT THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT NOTED A SMALL TRACE OF OIL ON THE WINDSHIELD. SHORTLY AFTER SEEING THE OIL ON THE WINDSHIELD HE NOTICED THE ENGINE OIL PRESSURE HAD DROPPED BELOW THE GREEN LINE ON THE INDICATOR. AT THIS POINT THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT TOOK CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT AND TRIED INCREASING THROTTLE TO SEE IF THE OIL PRESSURE WOULD RETURN TO NORMAL. UPON INCREASING THE THROTTLE, THE OIL PRESSURE DROPPED TO NEARLY ZERO. THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT ELECTED TO SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE AND PERFORM AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A NEARBY CORN FIELD WHICH CONTAINED AN ESTABLISHED CROP THAT WAS NEARING MATURITY. UPON CONTACT WITH THE CROP, THE AIRCRAFT ABRUPTLY PITCHED NOSE DOWN CONTACTING THE GROUND APPROXIMATELY 60 FEET FROM INITIAL IMPACT WITH THE CROP THEN TRAVELED APPROXIMATELY ANOTHER 15 FEET BEFORE COMING TO REST. THE AIRCRAFT WAS FOUND WITH OIL ON THE LOWER SIDE OF THE FUSELAGE, LEFT CABIN DOOR AND A TRACE ON THE WINDSCREEN. WHEN THE INTERIOR OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS EXAMINED OIL WAS FOUND ON THE BACK OF THE ENGINE AND ON THE ENGINE FIREWALL. THE OIL FILLER CAP WAS FOUND SEPARATED FROM THE FILLER NECK AND THE ENGINE OIL DIPSTICK DID NOT SHOW SIGNS OF OIL IN THE ENGINE.