# NTSB LAX04LA062: Cessna 172N, N739SU, Snelling, CA, December 8, 2003 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: December 7, 2003, 16:00 local (Dec 8, 2003, 00:00 UTC) - Place: Snelling, CA - Coordinates: 37.523612, -120.569725 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.5236&lon=-120.5697&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 28, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration, Cessna, Textron-Lycoming - NTSB case key (mKey): 58459 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX04LA062 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/58459/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX04LA062 ## Probable cause The total loss of engine power due to oil starvation caused by the failure of the engine driven oil pump. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - mech failure/malf, cruise - normal - lubricating system,oil pressure pump - failure (cause) - fluid,oil - starvation (cause) - engine assembly,bearing - failure,total (cause) - engine assembly,connecting rod - failure,total (cause) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, emergency landing - terrain condition - open field - Nose over, landing - roll ## Analysis The airplane lost engine power and collided with terrain and nosed over during a forced landing. About 5 minutes in to flight the vacuum instruments failed, then 5 minutes later, at 3,000 feet, the engine made a loud noise and black smoke entered the cockpit. The smoke seemed to originate from the engine. The engine lost power and was not responding to throttle adjustments. The aircrew selected a green field into which to perform a forced landing. During the landing touchdown the nose wheel caught the ground, and the airplane nosed over on to it's back. Examination of the engine revealed that the woodruff key linking the oil pump drive shaft to the oil pump accessory gear had sheared, resulting in oil starvation and a catastrophic failure of the engine. ## Factual narrative HISTORY OF FLIGHT On December 7, 2003, at 1600 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 172N, N739SU, lost engine power and collided with the ground while executing a forced landing 8 miles west of Snelling, California. The American School of Aviation operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The student pilot and a designated examiner were not injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The local area instructional flight originated at Castle Airport, Atwater, California, at 1545. The designated examiner reported to the Safety Board investigator that about 5 minutes into the private pilot check flight the vacuum instruments failed, then 5 minutes later, at 3,000 feet, the engine made a loud noise and black smoke entered the cockpit. The smoke seemed to originate from the engine. The engine lost power and was not responding to throttle adjustments. The designated examiner took the airplane's controls and selected a green field into which to perform a forced landing. During the landing touchdown the nose wheel caught the ground, and the airplane nosed over on to its back. The aircrew safely egressed the airplane uninjured. TESTS & RESEARCH Under the supervision of the Safety Board Investigator, Cessna, and Lycoming technical representatives examined the engine. The four cylinder engine had a 4 inch lateral hole in the top of the engine case, above the number 4 cylinder, between the push rod tubes. The engine crankshaft was rotated by hand and it was noted that the oil pump drive shaft did not rotate with the rest of the engine accessories. The engine was then disassembled. The number 3 cylinder connecting rod was fractured at the I-beam mid section and the rod bearing inserts were discolored, deformed, and in pieces. The number 4 cylinder connecting rod I-beam was fractured just above the crankshaft and the bearing inserts were deformed. The gear type oil pump was disassembled. The oil pump woodruff key was observed sheared in half along the interface between the drive shaft and the accessory drive gear. The vacuum pump rotated freely and the flexible drive coupler was intact. Examination of the engine and aircraft log books documented that the annual/100 hour inspection was completed on November 1, 2003, at a engine total time of 1721.3 hours. The Lycoming O-360-H series overhaul manual shows that the engine driven oil pump drive shaft also drives the instrument vacuum pump. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N739SU](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N739SU-2013-02-11), registration cancelled 2013-02-11, S/N 17270776, built 1978 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 172N - Registry model: [Cessna 172N](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172n) (registry code 2072434) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 17270776 - Airframe hours: 8192 - Engines: Lycoming O-360 160 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Instructional, Part 91 - Operator: American School of Aviation - Registered owner: Phillip Secker - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, November 19, 2003, 10 hours before - Departed: MER, Atwater, CA ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Student pilot; age 36; injuries: none; student; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; flight hours: 55 total, 30 in this make and model, 10 as pilot in command - Check pilot; age 50; injuries: none; flight instructor, airline transport, commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; last flight review June 15, 2003; seat: right; flight hours: 10,000 total, 3,000 in this make and model, 6,000 as pilot in command, 200 in the last 90 days, 80 in the last 30 days, 5 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 110° at 5 knots - Visibility: 9 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 46 °F, dew point 41 °F - Altimeter: 30.15 inHg - Observed at: KMCE ## 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 20031207031259A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20031207031259A), Dec 7, 2003: Cessna 172N, Atwater, CA, Substantial damage. (-23) During the certification of a private pilot and maneuvering under the supervision of a designated pilot examiner, the aircraft lost engine power and was… 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.