ERA25LA114

The flight instructor and student pilot, who was on his second instructional flight, departed the airport and climbed to 3,000 ft mean sea level (msl) before leveling off. Suddenly, the top engine cowling partially detached, blocking the view of both pilots. The flight instructor declared an emergency and returned to the airport for landing. During the landing attempt with reduced visibility, the airplane touched down hard, exited the paved runway surface, and impacted terrain. The left wing sustained damage to the aileron and spar. The operator stated that the airplane was out of service in maintenance for a broken oil servicing door. The instructor reported that the airplane was not listed as being out of service for maintenance and that he checked it out before he conducted, “a brief preflight inspection.” Postaccident examination of the airplane showed that the engine cowling detached with 50% of the fasteners unserviceable due to worn receivers. A proper preflight inspection of the airplane, which is the responsibility of the pilot in command (in this case, the flight instructor), would have revealed the engine cowl anomaly.

On February 3, 2025, at 1600 central standard time, a Cessna, 172P, N62112, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at the Outlaw Field Airport (CKV), Clarksville, Tennessee. The flight instructor and student pilot were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The flight instructor stated that the maintenance status of the airplane was not grounded in the company’s scheduling software and he was therefore able to check the airplane out. He had flown the airplane 24 hours before with no issues. The flight instructor reported performing a “brief pre-flight inspection.” According to the student, he arrived at the airport and the instructor was already there and stated that he had already conducted a preflight inspection of the airplane. They waited for the wind to die down before beginning the flight. They pulled the airplane out and did a “quick walk around.” Once in the cockpit they conducted normal pre-taxi and pre-takeoff procedures. The instructor reported that they then departed and climbed to 3,000 ft msl and leveled off. Suddenly, the top engine cowling partially detached, effectively blocking the view of both pilots. The flight instructor declared an emergency and returned to the airport for landing. During the landing attempt with reduced visibility, the airplane touched down hard and exited the paved runway surface to the left. During the accident sequence the left wing struck the ground and was substantially damaged. An FAA inspector confirmed the damage and placed the engine cowling back on the airplane. All of the cowling fasteners were installed; however, only 50% of the fasteners could be secured due to worn receivers. According to the operator, the airplane was in maintenance to repair a broken oil servicing door; he also stated that the flight scheduling program was down due to a loss of internet connectivity, so the status of the airplane could not be entered. The operator reported that while the airplane was under maintenance the cowling screws were not installed.