Cessna 172M N12842

Summary

On 14 April 2015 at about 23:45 local time, a Cessna 172M registered N12842 was involved in an accident near Hilo, Hawaii, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 April 2015 at 23:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Hilo, Hawaii, United States

Nearest airport

Hilo Intl (ITO)

Coordinates

19.7247, -155.0533

Aircraft

Cessna 172M

Registration

N12842

Category

Airplane

Year built

1973

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hilo → Hilo

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR15LA146

3 people were seriously injured.

Water contamination in the fuel system due to the flight instructor’s and pilot receiving instruction’s failure to drain all the water from the system during the preflight inspection, which resulted in a loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction reported that, during the preflight inspection before the local instructional flight, they drained water from the fuel tanks. After departure, they flew for about 1 hour and then returned to the airport to practice touch-and-go landings. During the approach for landing, the pilot receiving instruction accomplished a no-flap "slip to landing." After touchdown, he applied power for the takeoff, and the airplane then reached between about 75 and 100 ft above ground level, at which point the engine began to run irregularly, and subsequently, it lost power. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and executed a left turn away from buildings located at the end of the runway. Subsequently, the airplane impacted a grassy area northeast of the departure end of the runway. During the postaccident examination of the airplane, water was found in the fuel sump strainer and the carburetor, which likely led to the loss of engine power. It is likely the flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction failed to ensure that all the water was drained from the tank during the preflight inspection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.