- Date
- March 26, 1994, 12:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Boca Raton, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N9781BCessna 172RG
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 18, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940326006719A
- Case key
- 37513
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
The failure of the aircraft operator to comply with engine manufacturers service bulletins which resulted in improper inspection of exhaust valves and subsequent sticking of the no. 4 exhaust valve.
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 aircraft's engine lost partial power during climb after takeoff. The aircraft would not maintain altitude and a forced landing was made in a wooded area. Postcrash examination of the engine indicated the No. 4 exhaust valve had stuck and the exhaust valve pushrod was bent. No other engine malfunctions were noted. Textron Lycoming Engines issued mandatory service bulletin 388B on May 13, 1992, requiring the testing of the exhaust valve clearances each 400 flight hours on aircraft. The logbook records for N9781B did not have any entries showing compliance with service bulletin 388B.
Factual narrative
On March 26, 1994, about 1215 eastern standard time, a Cesnna 172RG, N9781B, registered to ATE of Florida, Inc., landed in a wooded area following partial loss of engine power shortly after takeoff from Boca Raton Airport, Boca Raton, Florida, while on a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft received substantial damage and the commercial-rated flight instructor and private-rated dual student were not injured. The flight originated at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on March 26, 1994, about 1120.
The flight instructor stated that the aircraft's engine lost partial power during climb after takeoff. They were unable to maintain altitude and a forced landing was made in a wooded area.
After the accident maintenance personnel from the operator and a FAA inspector found the exhaust valve in the No. 4 cylinder had stuck and the push rod was bent. No other malfunctions in the engine were noted.
Textron Lycoming Engines issued mandatory service bulletin 388B on May 13, 1992. This bulletin outlined a "procedure to determine exhaust valve and guide condition" and is "to insure positive and trouble free valve train operation." This bulletin required compliance each 400 hours of engine operation. Logbook records indicated the engine had accumulated 1,030 hours of operation since major overhaul and no entries to indicate service bulletin 388B had been complied with.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9781B
- Reported as
- Cessna 172RG
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172RG1032
- Airframe hours
- 5,290
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-FIA6, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ate Of Florida, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · March 21, 1994 · 9 hours before
- Airport
- BCT · Boca Raton
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
- 23
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 645 total · 132 in this make and model · 570 as pilot in command · 202 in the last 90 days · 54 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FXE, 10 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.