Cessna 172 N1443E

Summary

On 25 October 2019 at about 02:00 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N1443E, operated by Iowa Flight Training, was involved in an accident near Swea City, Iowa, United States. One person was 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 October 2019 at 02:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Swea City, Iowa, United States

Coordinates

43.3842, -94.3203

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N1443E

Category

Airplane

Year built

1978

Engines

1

Operator

Iowa Flight Training

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mason City → Fort Dodge

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CEN20LA014

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to replace the oil filler cap during his preflight inspection, which resulted in oil starvation and a subsequent total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot conducted a preflight inspection of the airplane in preparation for a night cross-country flight, during which he added a half quart of oil to the engine. During the flight, the pilot noticed that the oil pressure gauge was near zero. The pilot diverted back to his departure airport; the engine started to shake, then lost all power, and he subsequently conducted a forced landing to a road. Examination of the airplane noted substantial damage to the fuselage and engine oil on the side of the cowling; the engine oil filler cap/dipstick was located 2 to 3 ft in front of the airplane. Borescope examination of the engine revealed scoring on the Nos. 2 and 4 cylinders, consistent with inadequate lubrication. In a follow-up interview with the pilot, he stated that he typically placed the oil filler cap/dipstick in the wing's tie-down loop when checking the engine oil level or adding oil. It is likely that the pilot forgot to replace the dipstick during his preflight inspection, which resulted in the loss of engine oil in flight and a subsequent total loss of engine power due to oil starvation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.