Cessna 172 N6328D

Summary

On 7 July 2020 at about 22:23 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N6328D, operated by Christopher Joas, was involved in an accident near Lake Tahoe, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 July 2020 at 22:23

Classification

Accident

Location

Lake Tahoe, California, United States

Coordinates

38.8405, -120.0104

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N6328D

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

1

Operator

Christopher Joas

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

South Lake Tahoe → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR20LA212

2 people died.

The partial loss of engine power due to carbon buildup in the No. 4 cylinder resulting from the pilot’s inadequate mixture-leaning procedures.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Shortly after takeoff, a witness observed the airplane flying about 200 ft above ground level and heard the engine power fluctuating. The left wingtip then struck a tree and the airplane aggressively yawed while continuing to fly low. The airplane impacted the ground about 2.5 nautical miles southwest of the departure airport. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed low compression on cylinder Nos. 3 and 4. Further examination of the No. 4 cylinder revealed significant carbon buildup on the piston face and the top and bottom spark plugs. This buildup would likely have resulted in the No. 4 cylinder ignition system misfiring and a partial loss of engine power. The four-cylinder engine was overhauled about 4 months before the accident, during which four overhauled cylinders and eight new spark plugs were installed. Additionally, about 2 months (and about 26 hours) before the accident, all four cylinders were overhauled again due to high oil consumption. Carbon deposits can form when excessive heating occurs in the combustion chamber of the engine. While the high amount of carbon buildup is unusual for a cylinder with only 26 hours of operation since overhaul, the reason for the buildup was likely due to the pilot’s inadequate mixture-leaning procedures.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.