Cessna 172M N1409V

Summary

On 25 June 2001 at about 16:20 local time, a Cessna 172M registered N1409V was involved in an accident near Napa, California, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 June 2001 at 16:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Napa, California, United States

Nearest airport

Napa County Airport (APC)

Coordinates

38.2000, -122.2667

Aircraft

Cessna 172M

Registration

N1409V

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sacramento → Napa

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX01LA221

Nobody was injured.

Loss of engine power due to the restricted movement of the number 1 exhaust valve that subsequently bent the exhaust push rod and push rod housing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the missed approach the engine lost power, was maneuvered to land, and came to rest inverted after the nose wheel touched down in soft dirt. The purpose of the flight was to conduct instrument training at local area airports. The flight had departed home base approximately an hour away from the accident airport. No discrepancies were noted with the engine during the flight or the approach to land. As the student reached MDA the CFI instructed the student to conduct the missed approach. They climbed straight ahead to 500 feet msl and initiated a left-hand turn for compliance with the missed approach procedure. The engine began to lose power. The CFI declared an emergency and conducted the emergency checklist. She turned towards the runway and slipped the airplane down land on the runway. Due to the altitude, she knew they would not make the runway, so she attempted to land in a grassy area past the departure end of the runway. Again, the airplane was too high for landing and she had to maneuver to avoid the airport perimeter fence. The CFI turned away from the fence. When she returned the airplane to wings level flight the wheels touched down. The nose wheel dug into the soft dirt and the airplane flipped over. Examination of the engine revealed that the exhaust push rod housing and exhaust push rod were bent. The crankshaft was manually rotated establishing valve training continuity. No further discrepancies were noted with the engine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.