Cessna 172RG N4726V

Summary

On 8 February 2008 at about 18:05 local time, a Cessna 172RG registered N4726V was involved in an accident near Litchfield, Illinois, 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

8 February 2008 at 18:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Litchfield, Illinois, United States

Coordinates

39.2564, -89.6150

Aircraft

Cessna 172RG

Registration

N4726V

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

East Alton → Litchfield

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI08CA079

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's intentional low altitude flight and his failure to maintain clearance from the static wire. Contributing to the accident were the static wire, the partial loss of engine power due to propeller vibration, and the muddy field in which the forced landing was made.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he did not observe any obstacles when he overflew the lake, but noted there was some bird activity in the vicinity. He performed a low altitude pass, approximately 100 feet above the lake, without incident. During a second low altitude pass, the pilot heard a "thump" noise which was immediately followed by a loss of engine power and engine vibration. A forced landing was made in a nearby muddy field, but the airplane nosed over shortly after touchdown. The airplane impacted a static wire that was strung across the lake. The wire, approximately 40 feet above the water, was part of two-wire power transmission line. The airplane's propeller had damage consistent with a wire strike.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.