- Date
- October 17, 2005, 17:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Hitchcock, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N53795Cessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 28, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20051017026819A
- Case key
- 62675
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
A loss of engine power due to a cracked cylinder.
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 200-hour private pilot was conducting a local sightseeing flight. Approximately twenty-minutes after departing, the pilot reported hearing a loud bang and the engine began to run rough and lose power. The pilot located a private airport in close range and flew directly to it under partial power. Since he was high, the pilot decided to make a circular pattern to lose altitude. When he lined up with the runway, the airplane was still too high to land and the pilot elected to use full flaps and a slip to lose altitude. The pilot realized he was going to overshoot the runway and he pulled-up and added full power. The engine continued to run rough and the airplane was still losing airspeed and altitude, so the pilot decided to make another approach from the opposite direction, approaching from about 25 degrees to the right of the runway. Full flaps and a steep approach were used to lose altitude and the airplane touched down approximately two-thirds of the way down the 2,700 foot turf runway. After touching down, the pilot applied both brakes and the airplane skidded to the right, causing the right wing to come into contact with a hangar. The airplane nosed-over and come to rest in the upright position. Examination of the engine revealed a crack at the number one cylinder.
Factual narrative
The 200-hour pilot was conducting a local sightseeing flight. Approximately twenty-minutes after departing, the pilot reported hearing a loud bang and the engine began to run rough and lose power. The pilot located a private airport in close range and flew directly to it under partial power. Since he was high, the pilot elected to make a circular pattern to lose altitude. When he lined up with the runway, the airplane was still too high to land and the pilot elected to use full flaps and a slip to lose altitude. The pilot realized he was going to overshoot the runway and he pulled-up and added full power. The engine continued to run rough and the airplane was still losing airspeed and altitude, so the pilot decided to make another approach from the opposite direction, approaching from about 25 degrees to the right of the runway. Full flaps and a steep approach were used to lose altitude and the airplane touched down approximately two-thirds of the way down the 2,700 foot turf runway. The pilot applied both brakes and the airplane skidded to the right, causing the right wing to come into contact with a hangar. The airplane nosed-over coming to rest in the upright position. Examination of the airplane's engine revealed a crack at the number one cylinder.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N53795
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17274817
- Airframe hours
- 18,844
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- King Flight Service LLC
- Registered owner
- King Flight Service LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 1, 2005
- Departed
- T41 · La Porte, TX
- Airport
- 37TE · Johnnie Volk Field Airport, runway 16, 2,700 × 60 ft, grass/turf
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
- 36
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Last flight review
- February 1, 2004
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 200 total · 175 in this make and model · 150 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- GLS, 17 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.
Other investigations on N53795 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.