- Date
- June 10, 2021, 10:08 local (15:08 UTC)
- Place
- Saint James, LA · Intersection at highway 3127
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N365CPCessna 172S
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Pressure/environ sys malf/fail
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Baton Rouge FSDO
- Case key
- 103265
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The in-flight fatigue failure of an air-conditioning system hose which resulted in a precautionary landing and impact with a road sign.
Findings · 5
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot of the low-level pipeline patrol flight reported that after about one hour into the flight, a “very loud pop” noise emitted from behind the instrument panel followed by an unidentified high-pressure air/gas release into the cabin. After not seeing any flames, the pilot opened his window to vent the cabin and decided to conduct an off-airport emergency landing on an empty multi-lane highway. During the landing rollout, the left wing impacted a metal road sign, and the airplane came to a stop on a grass median. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that a high-pressure air conditioning hose failed and separated at a metal crimp connection at the firewall pass-through. The hose ends at the separation showed signs of age deterioration. Maintenance records revealed that the hose had been in service for about 20 years, accumulating 12,512.5 total hours. According to the air conditioning system maintenance manual, the system’s components are to be inspected every 600 hours or every annual inspection, whichever comes first, and are to be cleaned or replaced as necessary.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N365CP
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S8838
- Built
- 2001
- Airframe hours
- 12,520.3
- Engine
- Lycoming Engines IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Operator
- Barr Air Patrol LLC, doing business as Barr Air Patrol LLC
- Registered owner
- Barr Air Patrol LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 7, 2021 · 7.3 hours before
- Departed
- REG · Gonzales, LA
- Destination
- CWF · Lake Charles, LA
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Satellite tracking device, Onboard weather
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 25, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 7,433 total · 791 in this make and model · 6,830 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 52 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- KREG, 8 nm away
- METAR
- KREG 101455Z AUTO 22005KT 10SM SCT021 SCT028 29/24 A3004 RMK AO2 T02930236
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 15, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 10.5 MB in all.
Other investigations on N365CP · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.