Cessna 172M N12151

Summary

On 30 May 2009 at about 14:44 local time, a Cessna 172M registered N12151 was involved in an accident near Sarasota, Florida, 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

30 May 2009 at 14:44

Classification

Accident

Location

Sarasota, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Sarasota/Bradenton (SRQ)

Coordinates

27.2722, -82.5361

Aircraft

Cessna 172M

Registration

N12151

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Venice → Sarasota

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09LA310

Nobody was injured.

A 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

About 7 months before the accident, the carburetor was overhauled, but after installation, the engine could not be restarted when it was hot, and lost power one time in flight. The carburetor was returned to the overhaul facility, repaired, and re-installed a second time. According to the pilot-rated co-owner/passenger, the engine ran "fine" during a test flight, and no flights were conducted between the test flight and the accident flight. Estimates by the pilot and passenger indicated that the accident flight departure fuel quantity was between 26 and 32 gallons. The pilot and passenger departed their home airport for another airport approximately 20 miles away, conducted two touch-and-go landings, and began the return leg to their home airport. While in cruise at 1,100 feet, the engine ran roughly for a brief period of time, and then lost all power. The pilot attempted to restart the engine, but was unsuccessful. The airplane struck trees, and came to rest approximately 25 feet above the ground, suspended by the trees. Based on the pilot's account of the departure fuel quantity and the duration of the flight, the airplane manufacturer's fuel consumption rates did not support the case for fuel exhaustion, but neither the pre-flight nor post- accident fuel quantities were able to be accurately determined. The engine was operated successfully in a post-accident ground test, and subsequent examination and test of the carburetor did not reveal any anomalies. When the intersection of the local temperature and dew point values was located on a chart that depicted carburetor ice envelopes, the point was in the envelope entitled "Serious Icing at Glide Power," near the boundary of the envelope entitled "Icing - Glide and Cruise Power."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.