- Date
- October 4, 2001, 07:45 local (11:45 UTC)
- Place
- White Stone, VA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N80562Cessna 172M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 13, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20011004028909A
- Case key
- 53588
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
loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
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 airplane departed on a fish spotting flight over the Chesapeake Bay with 20 gallons of fuel onboard. About 45-minutes into the flight, the airplane was 5 miles off shore at an altitude of 2,500 feet when the engine stopped producing power. The pilot was unable to maintain altitude and could not make it to the shoreline. He ditched the airplane in 50-foot deep water, and was rescued by the crew of a fishing vessel. Due to environmental concerns, the airplane was not recovered. The pilot did not know the cause of the engine failure.
Factual narrative
On October 4, 2001, at 0745 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N80562, was destroyed after it ditched in the Chesapeake Bay about 5 miles east of White Stone, Virginia. The certificated commercial pilot sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the fight that originated at Reedville Airport (VA98), Reedville, Virginia, at 0700. No flight plan was filed for the fish spotting flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the pilot, he departed with 20 gallons of fuel onboard. About 45-minutes into the flight, at an altitude of 2,500 feet, the engine stopped producing power. In a written statement, he said:
"My engine got rough then started to shake, started losing altitude - couldn't make it to land. I told the other spotters my engine was going out and I could not make it to shore, that I was going to put the plane in the water along side the Shearwater. I pulled the plane up at last minute and my tail hit first, then my main gear - the aircraft hit and flipped and sank in less than 15-20 seconds. I came out of plane about 3 or 4 seconds after impact. The Shearwater crew got me out of the water."
According to the Commonwealth of Virginia Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot reported, "that the engine started running rough and started missing, and then lost power and stopped running."
The pilot estimated that the airplane landed in 50-foot deep water. Due to environmental concerns, the airplane was not recovered.
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector interviewed the pilot. According to the inspector, the pilot did not know what caused the loss of engine power.
Weather at Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (PHF), Newport News, Virginia, about 34 nautical miles southwest of the accident site, at 0754, was reported as winds from 240 degrees at 6 knots, visibility 7 statute miles, sky clear, temperature 60 degrees F, dewpoint 57 degrees F, and altimeter 30.12 inches HG.
The pilot reported a total of 40,000 flight hours, of which 26,000 were in make and model.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N80562
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17266653
- Airframe hours
- 18,000
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 3, 2001 · 400 hours before
- Departed
- VA98 · Reedville, VA
- Destination
- Chesapeake Bay
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
- 58
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- March 24, 2001
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 40,000 total · 26,000 in this make and model · 39,000 as pilot in command · 250 in the last 90 days · 75 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- PHF, 34 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.