Cessna 172RG N6117R

Summary

On 25 August 2009 at about 16:15 local time, a Cessna 172RG registered N6117R, operated by Air Fleet Training Systems, was involved in an accident near Rockaway, New Jersey, United States. 2 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

25 August 2009 at 16:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Rockaway, New Jersey, United States

Coordinates

40.8750, -74.2811

Aircraft

Cessna 172RG

Registration

N6117R

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Air Fleet Training Systems

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Milford → Caldwell

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09LA481

1 person had minor injuries.

A total loss of engine power due to oil starvation for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The certificated flight instructor (CFI) and dual/student pilot were practicing maneuvers when the CFI noticed that the left main gear of the airplane was wet. As he looked for the source of the substance he noticed that the airplane’s oil pressure was critically low and immediately headed back to the airplane’s base. On the way, the engine came “to a halt with the propeller stopping” and the CFI elected to land in an empty section of a mall parking lot. The airplane’s nose landing gear contacted a curb and the right wing impacted a tree before coming to a stop. An examination of the wreckage revealed the fluid on the wheel to be oil leaking from the engine, which covered the bottom and empennage section of the airplane. A teardown examination of the engine found the No. 3 and No. 4 pistons with damage consistent with overheating and oil starvation. The lower portion of the No. 3 piston was destroyed. There was no internal or external evidence with the engine to account for the oil leak. The engine oil system was examined and found to be unremarkable. The CFI stated that a quart of oil was added, for a total 6.7 quarts of oil in the engine, prior to the accident flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.