# NTSB ERA25LA324: Cessna 172, N1607F, New Smyrna Beach, FL, August 29, 2025 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report - Date: August 29, 2025, 10:27 local (14:27 UTC) - Place: New Smyrna Beach, FL - Coordinates: 29.057135, -80.957783 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.0571&lon=-80.9578&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Initial climb: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 2 minor - Status: Completed, report November 20, 2025 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish - NTSB office: Eastern Region Aviation - Parties: FAA/FSDO, Textron Aviation - NTSB case key (mKey): 200904 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA25LA324 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/200904/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=200904 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA25LA324 ## Probable cause Maintenance personnel’s failure to detect and address water contamination of the airplane’s fuel system, which resulted in a total loss of engine power during initial climb. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Fluids: fuel](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010): Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware · Fluid condition (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 172H, 10 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md?model=2072424), [All aircraft, 1,695 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md) - [Fluids: fuel](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010): Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware · Inadequate inspection (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 172H, 10 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md?model=2072424), [All aircraft, 1,695 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md) - [Inspection: scheduled/routine inspection](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061520): Personnel issues › Task performance · Maintenance personnel (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 172H, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061520/cases.md?model=2072424), [All aircraft, 167 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061520/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Prior to flight: Fuel contamination](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/193); cases with it: [Cessna 172H, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/193/sequence.md?model=2072424), [All aircraft, 225 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/193/sequence.md) - [Initial climb: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 172H, 13 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md?model=2072424), [All aircraft, 3,820 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md) - [Initial climb: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Cessna 172H, 20 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=2072424), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot/owner stated she had recently purchased the airplane and that during the preflight inspection, had found water in the fuel tanks. She then drained fuel from the sumps until no water was observed. Engine start, taxi, run up, and one circuit of the traffic pattern were uneventful. After completing a touch-and-go landing, during initial climb, the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot elected to land straight ahead and transferred control of the airplane to the pilot in the right seat. When he cycled the throttle from idle to full the engine sputtered before losing power again. The airplane subsequently struck a fence, nosed over, and came to reset inverted resulting in substantial to the airplane’s fuselage and both wings. Postaccident examination of the airplane found water in the fuel lines from the right wing fuel tank, in the strainer, and in the carburetor bowl. The fuel filler caps, and filler necks were corroded and the mechanic who had last performed maintenance on the airplane reported that he had removed water from the airplane’s fuel system and had changed the gaskets on the fuel tank caps one month prior to the accident. No maintenance log entries documenting this work were found in the supplied maintenance logbooks; the last entry was for the annual inspection completed about 9 months before the accident. Fueling records showed the airplane had last been fueled about 5 months before the accident. The examination otherwise found no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airframe or engine. Based on this information, the loss of engine power was likely the result of water contamination of the airplane’s fuel system that had not been detected or addressed by the mechanic. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N1607F](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N1607F), registered now, S/N 17255002, built 1966 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 172 (H) - Registry model: [Cessna 172H](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172h) (registry code 2072424) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental 0-300 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-300-series) (registry code 17022, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 17255002 - Year built: 1966 - Airframe hours: 2229 - Engines: Continental Motors O-300-D 145 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, November 11, 2024, 37 hours before - Airport: EVB, New Smyrna Beach Muni (Jack Bolt Fld), runway 29, 4,319 × 75 ft, asphalt - Equipment: Onboard weather, Handheld GPS, ADS-B, Stall warning system ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 22; injuries: minor; flight instructor, commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, without waivers/limitations; last flight review August 2, 2024; seat: right; restraint: 3-point; flight hours: 645 total, 536 in this make and model, 548.8 as pilot in command, 189.4 in the last 90 days, 39.3 in the last 30 days, 0.9 in the last 24 hours - Pilot; age 27; injuries: minor; commercial, flight instructor; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, without waivers/limitations; last flight review November 1, 2024; seat: left; restraint: 3-point; flight hours: 208 total, 196.9 in this make and model, 134.4 as pilot in command, 0.7 in the last 90 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: calm - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Temperature: 84 °F, dew point 77 °F - Altimeter: 30.03 inHg - Observed at: EVB, 1 nm away - METAR: KEVB 291427Z 00000KT 10SM SCT030 29/25 A3003 RMK AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT ## 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 20250829013189A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20250829013189A), Aug 29, 2025: Cessna 172H, New Smyrna Beac, FL, Substantial damage. A C-172 with two crew members were conducting touch and go's at kevb. On climb out after the first landing the aircraft experienced a complete power loss.… ## Docket (9 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 20, 2025, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=200904. 78.1 MB in all. - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 10 pages, 5.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19469520&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=ERA25LA324%206120%20Printed_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Fuel records (item 2, PDF, 1 page, 41 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19468899&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=2025%20N1607F%20FUEL%20TRANSACTIONS_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Maintenance logbook excerpts (item 3, PDF, 14 pages, 62.5 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19469530&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Maintenance%20logbook%20excerpts_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Memorandum for record a�� mechanic statement to FAA (item 4, PDF, 2 pages, 164 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19469221&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=FAA%20Mechanic%20MOR-Rel.pdf - ADS-B track data (item 5, KMZ, 16 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19476244&FileExtension=kmz&FileName=20250829_A0F501_598922504-Rel.kmz - Investigation photographs (item 6, PDF, 5 pages, 2.9 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19468909&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Photo%20Array%20ERA25LA324-Rel.pdf - Wreckage examination summary (item 7, PDF, 26 pages, 7.2 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19475561&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=ERA25LA324%20Wreckage%20Exam%20Notes-Rel.pdf - Evidence control form (item 8, PDF, 1 page, 304 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19469540&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=ERA25LA324%20Logbook%20Evidence%20Control%20Form_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Release of aircraft wreckage, NTSB form 6120.15 (item 9, PDF, 1 page, 33 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19470612&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=ERA25LA324%20Release-of-Wreckage-Form_Redacted-Rel.pdf 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.