20240723008079I

Incident · No damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 172N · Hardin, IL · July 23, 2024

Date
July 23, 2024 · 09:00 local
Place
Hardin, IL
Airport
St Charles County Smartt
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N737HD
Reported as
Cessna 172N
Reported engine
Lycoming O-320-H2AD
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot

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.

During flight the pilot moved the fuel tank selector valve from the both fuel tanks position to the left-hand fuel tank position. About 5 minutes after the pilot moved the fuel tank selector valve the engine quite running and started windmilling. The pilot immediatly performed the emergency checklist without success of fixing the issue and then proceeded to move the fuel tank selector valve back to the both fuel tanks position which also had no success of fixing the issue. The pilot then decided that the aircraft needed to be landed due to the remaining altitude and the pilot found a soybean field to land in and succesfully landed the aircraft with no injuries to himself or damage to the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

DURING FLIGHT THE PILOT MOVED THE FUEL TANK SELECTOR VALVE FROM THE BOTH FUEL TANKS POSITION TO THE LEFT-HAND FUEL TANK POSITION. ABOUT 5 MINUTES AFTER THE PILOT MOVED THE FUEL TANK SELECTOR VALVE THE ENGINE QUITE RUNNING AND STARTED WINDMILLING. THE PILOT IMMEDIATLY PERFORMED THE EMERGENCY CHECKLIST WITHOUT SUCCESS OF FIXING THE ISSUE AND THEN PROCEEDED TO MOVE THE FUEL TANK SELECTOR VALVE BACK TO THE BOTH FUEL TANKS POSITION WHICH ALSO HAD NO SUCCESS OF FIXING THE ISSUE. THE PILOT THEN DECIDED THAT THE AIRCRAFT NEEDED TO BE LANDED DUE TO THE REMAINING ALTITUDE AND THE PILOT FOUND A SOYBEAN FIELD TO LAND IN AND SUCCESFULLY LANDED THE AIRCRAFT WITH NO INJURIES TO HIMSELF OR DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT.