- Date
- September 12, 1992, 11:44 local (15:44 UTC)
- Place
- St. Charles, MI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5361KCessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920912036479A
- Case key
- 15545
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 jamming of the oil pressure pump caused by the failure of the oil pressure pump driven impeller. The lack of a suitable landing area was a factor.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The oil pressure readings steadily decreased as the solo student pilot carried out his solo cross-country flight. He elected to divert from his flight plan to an alternate airstrip the engine began to run rough and produce smoke. As the pilot proceded to the alternate destination, the engine failed completely. The pilot made an emergency landing in a nearby muddy bean field. Upon landing in the field, the airplane nosed over. Investigation of the oil pump revealed that the oil pump driven impeller had a broken tooth, as well as broken drive tangs on the oil pump driveshaft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5361K
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17274080
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Kal-Aero, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Ellis III, John M.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- AAIP · August 21, 1992 · 27 hours before
- Departed
- AZO · Kalamazoo, MI
- Destination
- MBS · Saginaw, MI
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 20
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 49 total · 30 in this make and model · 18 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MBS, 16 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.