Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 172S near Traverse City, MI — 2022-05-10

Final reportCEN22LA194
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Date
2022-05-10
Location
Traverse City, MI, USA
Airport
TVC
Aircraft
CESSNA 172S
Registration
N184NW
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The failure of maintenance personnel to properly torque a fuel line “B” nut, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.

NTSB narrative

The pilot receiving instruction was on a visual approach to the runway during an instructional flight, at which time the engine lost total power. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and made multiple attempts to restart the engine, which were unsuccessful. The flight instructor declared an emergency and executed a forced landing to a park area about 1 mile north of the runway. During the forced landing, the airplane impacted terrain and a perimeter fence. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the right wing and engine mount. Examination of the engine and fuel system revealed a loose “B” nut fitting on the fuel line between the fuel injector and fuel manifold. The engine had recently been installed by maintenance personnel; the airplane had flown about 2.7 hours after the installation and before the accident. There was no visible impact damage to the “B” nut on the line or the fitting. Given this evidence, the “B” nut on the fuel line was likely not properly tightened during engine installation, which allowed the nut to loosen with normal engine vibration and allowed air to enter the system which resulted in total loss of engine power.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Video
  • Photos
  • 5 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents5

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