# NTSB ANC07LA026: Cessna 175, N8092T, Bunnell, FL, March 31, 2007 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: March 31, 2007, 13:30 local (17:30 UTC) - Place: Bunnell, FL - Coordinates: 29.466667, -81.206108 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.4667&lon=-81.2061&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report July 25, 2007 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 65540 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC07LA026 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/65540/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC07LA026 ## Probable cause The loss of engine power during cruise due to the separation of an engine piston, which resulted in a forced landing in a swamp and a collision with trees. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(partial) - mech failure/malf, cruise - engine assembly,piston - separation (cause) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, emergency landing - terrain condition - swampy - object - tree(s) ## Analysis The solo commercial pilot was on a cross-country personal flight operated under Title 14, CFR Part 91. The pilot reported that while in cruise flight about 2,500 feet above the ground, the engine began to run rough and lose power. Black smoke began coming from within the engine compartment, followed by a severe engine vibration, and then a complete loss of engine power. The pilot selected an open swampy area as an emergency landing area. During the emergency landing, the airplane's nose wheel collided with a large stump, and the wings collided with a stand of trees. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. After recovery, an FAA airworthiness inspector examined the airplane. The FAA inspector reported a hole in the crankcase adjacent to the number one cylinder. He said that he found the number one piston assembly in the oil sump, and that the number one piston wristpin remained attached to the connecting rod. He said that portions of the engine crankshaft assembly were broken, and he noted a significant amount of rotational scoring in the internal portions of the engine. ## Factual narrative On March 31, 2007, about 1330 eastern daylight time, a wheel-equipped Cessna 175 airplane, N8092T, sustained substantial damage when it collided with trees during a forced landing following a loss of engine power while in cruise flight, about 12 miles northwest of Bunnell, Florida. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The certificated commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the Flagler County Airport, Bunnell, about 1320, and was en route to the Haller Airpark, Green Cove Springs, Florida. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge on April 3, the pilot reported that while in cruise flight about 2,500 feet above the ground, the engine began to run rough and lose power. He said while performing the emergency engine procedures, he observed black smoke coming from within the engine compartment, followed by a severe engine vibration, and then a complete loss of engine power. The pilot said he was unable to restore engine power, and selected an open swampy area surrounded by trees as an emergency landing area. During the emergency landing, the airplane's nose wheel collided with a large stump, and the wings collided with a stand of trees. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. According to the pilot, the airplane had been retrofitted with a 180 horsepower Franklin 6A-335-B engine. After the airplane was recovered, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector from the Tampa Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) examined the airplane on May 8, 2007. The FAA inspector reported that during his preliminary external inspection of the engine crankcase assembly, he discovered a hole in the crankcase, adjacent to the number one cylinder attachment point. Additionally, he said that he found the number one piston assembly in the oil sump, and that the number one piston wristpin remained attached to the connecting rod. He said that portions of the engine crankshaft assembly were broken, and he noted a significant amount of rotational scoring in the internal portions of the engine. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N8092T](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N8092T), registered now, S/N 17556792, built 1961 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 175 - Registry model: [Cessna 175B](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-175b) (registry code 2072506) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Franklin 6A&6V335 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/franklin-6a-6v335-series) (registry code 27020, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 17556792 - Airframe hours: 2640 - Engines: Franklin 6A-335B 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Wayne R. Royal - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, September 1, 2006 - Departed: X47, BUNNELL, FL - Destination: 7FL4, GREEN COVE SPRI, FL ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 74; injuries: none; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, with waivers/limitations; last flight review April 1, 2005; seat: left; flight hours: 3,100 total, 1,100 in this make and model, 23 in the last 90 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 130° at 10 knots, gusting 16 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 72 °F - Altimeter: 30.18 inHg - Observed at: DAB ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20070331005509A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20070331005509A), Mar 31, 2007: Cessna 175B, Hastings, FL, Substantial damage. (-23) On March 31, 2007, at 2:10 local time, a Cessna 175B, N8092T, registered to the pilot [privacy data omitted], made an emergency landing in a swampy area… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.