Cessna 172H N2554L

Summary

On 11 April 2023 at about 21:11 local time, a Cessna 172H registered N2554L was involved in an accident near Charles Town, West Virginia, United States. 4 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

11 April 2023 at 21:11

Classification

Accident

Location

Charles Town, West Virginia, United States

Coordinates

39.2543, -77.8377

Aircraft

Cessna 172H

Registration

N2554L

Category

Airplane

Year built

1967

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Winchester → Martinsburg

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA23LA190

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

While en route to the destination airport, the engine began “sputtering.” The pilot reported that the mixture was in the full rich position and he applied carburetor heat; however, the engine did not regain full power. He performed a forced landing to a field and during the landing the nose landing gear collapsed, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. During the recovery of the airplane, 5 gallons of fuel was noted in the right fuel tank and 10 gallons of fuel was noted in the left fuel tank. A postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation; the reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.