# Accident 20210610007599A: Cessna 172S, Donalsonville, LA, June 10, 2021

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 10, 2021, 09:20 local time
- Place: Donalsonville, LA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Aircraft: N363CP, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N363CP) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172S (registry code 2072439, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172s) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming I0360 series (registry code 41515, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-i0360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172S
- Reported engine: LYCOMING I0360 SER
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 7,380 total, 2,800 in this make and model, 80 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20210610007599A

## Narrative

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

PILOT STATED: I AND AN OBSERVER, TOOK OFF FROM LOUISIANA REGIONAL AIRPORT (KREG) AT APPROXIMATELY

9:00 TO START PIPELINE PATROLS FOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ BEGINNING AT THE VALVE STATION NEAR PARADIS, LA.

AFTER ABOUT 1 HR IN THE AIR, (10MILES +/- SE OF DONALDSONVILLE OVER HWY 3127) A VERY LOUD ?POP? CAME

FROM BEHIND THE CONTROL PANEL. THAT WAS FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY AN UNIDENTIFIED, HIGH PRESSURE

AIR/GAS RELEASE, INTO THE COCKPIT. AFTER NOT SEEING FLAMES, I THEN OPENED MY WINDOW TO VENT. I THEN

IMMEDIATELY STARTED LOOKING FOR A SAFE PLACE TO LAND. WITH THE HIGHWAY DIRECTLY BELOW ME AND NO

TRAFFIC FOR 3 TO 4 MILES, I MADE A QUICK DECISION TO LAND THE PLANE. I CUT POWER, SET UP AND LANDED ON

THE HIGHWAY CENTERLINE OF THE WESTBOUND LANE ON HWY 3127. I WAS LOOKING FOR POWER LINES AND

OBSTRUCTIONS THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS. I COULD HEAR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ DOING ALL THE PREP STEPS THAT I DIDN'T

HAVE TIME TO DO. IE SQUAWK CODE, RADIO CALL, ELT ACTIVATION. AFTER TOUCHDOWN, I NOTED A SIGN ON THE

RIGHT SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AND SHIFTED SLIGHTLY TO THE LEFT. I FAILED TO SEE THE SIGN THAT WAS FACED AWAY

FROM ME ON THE LEFT MEDIAN. ALREADY ON THE GROUND AND SLOWING DOWN AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE, THE LEFT

WING STRUCK THE TWO SIGNS AND THE PLANE TURNED HARD TO THE LEFT WITH THE NOSE DIPPING ENOUGH TO

ALLOW THE PROP TO STRIKE THE ASPHAULT. THE PLANE THEN CAME TO A REST ON THE MEDIAN. I SHUT OFF ALL

POWER TO THE AVIONCS AND THE IGNITION, I THEN PULLED THE FUEL SHUT OFF VALVE AND EXITED THE PLANE. THE

PILOT SIDE DOOR WAS PARTIALLY JAMMED SO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AIDED TO OPEN AND WE BOTH GOT AWAY FROM THE PLANE.

NO FLAMES WERE OBSERVED AND PLANE WAS NOT OBSTRUCTING ANY OF THE TRAFFIC LANES. SO, WE BEGAN

MAKING PHONE CALLS. WE ESTIMATE THE TIME FROM THE POP TO THE MEDIAN WAS APPROXIMATELY 90

SECONDS.

## Other aircraft in the event

- N365CP, Cessna 172S: no report for this aircraft; [N365CP](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N365CP) is registered now

## NTSB investigation

None matched to this report by aircraft and date. Search the NTSB's own records: https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/basic-search

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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