- Date
- October 13, 2025, 16:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- North Lauderdale, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N1206UCessna 172
- Defining event
- Approach: Loss of engine power (partial)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 30, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- Lycoming Engines, FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20251013015379A
- Case key
- 201849
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 total loss of engine power due to a fuel delivery system leak, which allowed air to enter the fuel system. The source of the leak could not be determined based on the available evidence.
Findings · 1
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 flight instructor reported that while returning from a local training flight, the engine experienced a partial loss of power. An emergency was declared, and the engine subsequently experienced a total loss of power. The flight instructor conducted an emergency off-airport forced landing, during which the airplane impacted a park bench structure before coming to rest on a wide sidewalk. The airplane sustained substantial damage to left wing, and left horizontal stabilizer. A postaccident examination of the engine by an FAA inspector found a significant leak at the fuel flow transducer inlet line/fitting. The fuel flow transducer and associated fuel line were sent to the manufacturer for testing, which revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1206U
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (S)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S10417
- Built
- 2006
- Airframe hours
- 11,921.8
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Fxe Flightcenter Corp
- Registered owner
- Fxe Flightcenter Corp
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 4, 2025 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- FXE · Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Airport
- FXE
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Electronic primary flight display
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 25
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 9, 2024
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,259 total · 1,107 in this make and model · 1,193 as pilot in command · 134 in the last 90 days · 59 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 21
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 10 total · 10 in this make and model · 10 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 12 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- FXE, 4 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KFXE 131953Z 06012G18KT 10SM CLR 30/21 A2987 RMK AO2 SLP116 T03000206 $
Docket · 7
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 30, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 45.5 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.