Cessna 172 N78445

Summary

On 3 June 2024 at about 14:55 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N78445, operated by U.S. Aviation Academy, was involved in an accident near Terryville, Connecticut, 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

3 June 2024 at 14:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Terryville, Connecticut, United States

Nearest airport

Waterbury Airport (N41)

Coordinates

41.6280, -73.0470

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N78445

Category

Airplane

Year built

1968

Engines

1

Operator

U.S. Aviation Academy

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Wappingers Falls → Hartford

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA24LA241

1 person had minor injuries.

A total 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

The airplane was filled with fuel before the student pilot began the solo cross-country flight. About 30 minutes after departure, at 5,500 ft mean sea level, the engine rpm began to decrease until the engine lost all power, and the propeller was not windmilling. The pilot tried to restart the engine, but the propeller would not turn. She applied carburetor heat after the total loss of engine power but was not able to regain engine power. The pilot attempted to glide the airplane to a nearby airport, but it impacted wooded terrain about 1 mile from the airport and came to rest inverted. A review of a carburetor icing probability chart revealed a risk of serious icing at glide power; however, the engine was at cruise power before the loss of engine power. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed about 3/4 of the total fuel capacity remained onboard, and fuel was leaking from the wing fuel tanks that were compromised during the impact. The engine was subsequently examined at a recovery facility. Powertrain and valvetrain continuity were confirmed throughout the engine and no anomalies were noted. The engine was then started on the airframe. It started without hesitation and ran continuously at idle power. Due to airframe damage, higher power settings were not attempted.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.