Cessna 172M N64178

Summary

On 4 July 2009 at about 14:45 local time, a Cessna 172M registered N64178, operated by Raitan Valley Flying School, was involved in an accident near Princeton, New Jersey, United States. One person was 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

4 July 2009 at 14:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Princeton, New Jersey, United States

Nearest airport

Princeton Airport (39N)

Coordinates

40.3928, -74.6553

Aircraft

Cessna 172M

Registration

N64178

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Raitan Valley Flying School

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Princeton → Princeton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09LA379

Nobody was injured.

The partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot stated that he was in the traffic pattern practicing touch-and-go landings. As he turned base, the engine went to idle, and he made an emergency landing in a field. The carburetor heat was in use at the time of engine failure. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the flight control system components, engine, and system components revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction. The current ambient temperature was 75 degrees Fahrenheit, with a dew point of 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Review of the carburetor icing probability chart revealed that serious carburetor icing could occur at glide power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.