Cessna 172P N53795

Summary

On 17 October 2005 at about 22:30 local time, a Cessna 172P registered N53795, operated by King Flight Service LLC, was involved in an accident near Hitchcock, Texas, United States. 4 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 October 2005 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Hitchcock, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Johnnie Volk Field Airport (37TE)

Coordinates

29.3600, -95.0097

Aircraft

Cessna 172P

Registration

N53795

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

King Flight Service LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

La Porte → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW06CA008

1 person had minor injuries.

A loss of engine power due to a cracked cylinder.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The 200-hour private pilot was conducting a local sightseeing flight. Approximately twenty-minutes after departing, the pilot reported hearing a loud bang and the engine began to run rough and lose power. The pilot located a private airport in close range and flew directly to it under partial power. Since he was high, the pilot decided to make a circular pattern to lose altitude. When he lined up with the runway, the airplane was still too high to land and the pilot elected to use full flaps and a slip to lose altitude. The pilot realized he was going to overshoot the runway and he pulled-up and added full power. The engine continued to run rough and the airplane was still losing airspeed and altitude, so the pilot decided to make another approach from the opposite direction, approaching from about 25 degrees to the right of the runway. Full flaps and a steep approach were used to lose altitude and the airplane touched down approximately two-thirds of the way down the 2,700 foot turf runway. After touching down, the pilot applied both brakes and the airplane skidded to the right, causing the right wing to come into contact with a hangar. The airplane nosed-over and come to rest in the upright position. Examination of the engine revealed a crack at the number one cylinder.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.