What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On may 10th, 2022 at approximately 1728 local time a Cessna 172S, privacy data omitted and operated during an instructional IFR flight in VMC received substantial damage after impacting a ball field backstop attempting an emergency landing due to a loss of power. The flight was being conducted under the provisions of title 14 code of federal regulations (CFR) part 141 with a flight plan. The flight originated from Traverse City, cherry capital airport (tvc) at approximately 1530 with a full stop at pellston regional airport (pln) and then continued back to tvc via an instrument approach from gaylord regional airport (glr). Approximately 1.5 miles north of tvc on final for rwy 18 they were unable to arrest their descent and engine would not exceed 1300 RPM during attempts to add power. Emergency checks were completed in an attempt to recover power with no effect. The instructor took control of the aircraft, informed the tower of their situation and inability to make the runway and would be making an emergency landing.
The aircraft landed in the southwest corner of a sports complex approximately 200FT from a ballfield backstop and skid marks indicate the brakes were working but unable to stop the aircraft in such a short distance. The skid marks indicate the aircraft impacted the fence on a southwest heading and rotating approximately 125 deg back to the north as it went through the fence coming to rest approximately 25FT beyond the fence and .8 miles north of the end of runway 18 at tvc on a 340 heading. The student pilot and instructor vacated the aircraft immediately due to fuel leaking from the RH wing. The student had no injuries but the instructor did travel to the hospital to get checked out but was released with only minor scrapes.
Upon impact the engine was pushed aft causing the LH lower mount tubes to shear and the upper mount was forced aft through the firewall. After the impact, the engine sprung back forward with an approximate 15DEG tilt to the right. The LH lower section of the firewall was crumpled due to the engine pushing the battery into it. The engine was not under power when it impacted the fence and one blade was noticeably bent aft.
The LH wing impacted a pole at the landing light location tearing the leading edge skin back to the spar. The RH wing impacted the taller section of the backstop and the pole impacted just outboard of the upper spar attach point. The impact to the RH wing caused it to be swept back compressing the fuselage at the aft attach point and pushing the inboard section of the flap into and breaking the RH side aft passenger window. It also compressed the wing along the seam where the aileron and flap meet causing the inboard section of the RH aileron to overlap the flap by approximately 5 inches. The RH wing leading edge outboard of the strut attach point was flattened and chain link fence impressions were left in the skin.
Unable to verify aileron continuity due to RH wing damage, rudder and elevator had continuity and flap indicator was at 10 degrees, handle was in full down position and flaps were in transition beyond 10 degrees.
Engine control continuity was established, the fuel selector was in the ?both? Position and fuel shutoff was verified in the open position prior to fire & rescue shutting off the fuel. Throttle and mixture were both pulled aft to closed positions. There were approximately 5 gallons of fuel remaining in the left wing and approximately 3 gallons were recovered from the right by fire and rescue. Fuel samples taken from both wings and fuel filter showed no signs of contamination and visual examination of the fuel filter also showed no contamination. When the fuel shutoff was disengaged to take a fuel sample from the fuel filter it was noted that fuel was statically leaking from a loose ?b? Nut fitting for the metered fuel supply line at the outlet fitting of the fuel servo.
As the FAA filed it
ON MAY 10TH, 2022 AT APPROXIMATELY 1728 LOCAL TIME A CESSNA 172S, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND OPERATED DURING AN INSTRUCTIONAL IFR FLIGHT IN VMC RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AFTER IMPACTING A BALL FIELD BACKSTOP ATTEMPTING AN EMERGENCY LANDING DUE TO A LOSS OF POWER. THE FLIGHT WAS BEING CONDUCTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR) PART 141 WITH A FLIGHT PLAN. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM TRAVERSE CITY, CHERRY CAPITAL AIRPORT (TVC) AT APPROXIMATELY 1530 WITH A FULL STOP AT PELLSTON REGIONAL AIRPORT (PLN) AND THEN CONTINUED BACK TO TVC VIA AN INSTRUMENT APPROACH FROM GAYLORD REGIONAL AIRPORT (GLR). APPROXIMATELY 1.5 MILES NORTH OF TVC ON FINAL FOR RWY 18 THEY WERE UNABLE TO ARREST THEIR DESCENT AND ENGINE WOULD NOT EXCEED 1300 RPM DURING ATTEMPTS TO ADD POWER. EMERGENCY CHECKS WERE COMPLETED IN AN ATTEMPT TO RECOVER POWER WITH NO EFFECT. THE INSTRUCTOR TOOK CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT, INFORMED THE TOWER OF THEIR SITUATION AND INABILITY TO MAKE THE RUNWAY AND WOULD BE MAKING AN EMERGENCY LANDING.
THE AIRCRAFT LANDED IN THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF A SPORTS COMPLEX APPROXIMATELY 200FT FROM A BALLFIELD BACKSTOP AND SKID MARKS INDICATE THE BRAKES WERE WORKING BUT UNABLE TO STOP THE AIRCRAFT IN SUCH A SHORT DISTANCE. THE SKID MARKS INDICATE THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE FENCE ON A SOUTHWEST HEADING AND ROTATING APPROXIMATELY 125 DEG BACK TO THE NORTH AS IT WENT THROUGH THE FENCE COMING TO REST APPROXIMATELY 25FT BEYOND THE FENCE AND .8 MILES NORTH OF THE END OF RUNWAY 18 AT TVC ON A 340 HEADING. THE STUDENT PILOT AND INSTRUCTOR VACATED THE AIRCRAFT IMMEDIATELY DUE TO FUEL LEAKING FROM THE RH WING. THE STUDENT HAD NO INJURIES BUT THE INSTRUCTOR DID TRAVEL TO THE HOSPITAL TO GET CHECKED OUT BUT WAS RELEASED WITH ONLY MINOR SCRAPES.
UPON IMPACT THE ENGINE WAS PUSHED AFT CAUSING THE LH LOWER MOUNT TUBES TO SHEAR AND THE UPPER MOUNT WAS FORCED AFT THROUGH THE FIREWALL. AFTER THE IMPACT, THE ENGINE SPRUNG BACK FORWARD WITH AN APPROXIMATE 15DEG TILT TO THE RIGHT. THE LH LOWER SECTION OF THE FIREWALL WAS CRUMPLED DUE TO THE ENGINE PUSHING THE BATTERY INTO IT. THE ENGINE WAS NOT UNDER POWER WHEN IT IMPACTED THE FENCE AND ONE BLADE WAS NOTICEABLY BENT AFT.
THE LH WING IMPACTED A POLE AT THE LANDING LIGHT LOCATION TEARING THE LEADING EDGE SKIN BACK TO THE SPAR. THE RH WING IMPACTED THE TALLER SECTION OF THE BACKSTOP AND THE POLE IMPACTED JUST OUTBOARD OF THE UPPER SPAR ATTACH POINT. THE IMPACT TO THE RH WING CAUSED IT TO BE SWEPT BACK COMPRESSING THE FUSELAGE AT THE AFT ATTACH POINT AND PUSHING THE INBOARD SECTION OF THE FLAP INTO AND BREAKING THE RH SIDE AFT PASSENGER WINDOW. IT ALSO COMPRESSED THE WING ALONG THE SEAM WHERE THE AILERON AND FLAP MEET CAUSING THE INBOARD SECTION OF THE RH AILERON TO OVERLAP THE FLAP BY APPROXIMATELY 5 INCHES. THE RH WING LEADING EDGE OUTBOARD OF THE STRUT ATTACH POINT WAS FLATTENED AND CHAIN LINK FENCE IMPRESSIONS WERE LEFT IN THE SKIN.
UNABLE TO VERIFY AILERON CONTINUITY DUE TO RH WING DAMAGE, RUDDER AND ELEVATOR HAD CONTINUITY AND FLAP INDICATOR WAS AT 10 DEGREES, HANDLE WAS IN FULL DOWN POSITION AND FLAPS WERE IN TRANSITION BEYOND 10 DEGREES.
ENGINE CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS ESTABLISHED, THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS IN THE ?BOTH? POSITION AND FUEL SHUTOFF WAS VERIFIED IN THE OPEN POSITION PRIOR TO FIRE & RESCUE SHUTTING OFF THE FUEL. THROTTLE AND MIXTURE WERE BOTH PULLED AFT TO CLOSED POSITIONS. THERE WERE APPROXIMATELY 5 GALLONS OF FUEL REMAINING IN THE LEFT WING AND APPROXIMATELY 3 GALLONS WERE RECOVERED FROM THE RIGHT BY FIRE AND RESCUE. FUEL SAMPLES TAKEN FROM BOTH WINGS AND FUEL FILTER SHOWED NO SIGNS OF CONTAMINATION AND VISUAL EXAMINATION OF THE FUEL FILTER ALSO SHOWED NO CONTAMINATION. WHEN THE FUEL SHUTOFF WAS DISENGAGED TO TAKE A FUEL SAMPLE FROM THE FUEL FILTER IT WAS NOTED THAT FUEL WAS STATICALLY LEAKING FROM A LOOSE ?B? NUT FITTING FOR THE METERED FUEL SUPPLY LINE AT THE OUTLET FITTING OF THE FUEL SERVO.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.