Pilot Debrief

CESSNA R172E near Aguilar, CO — 2022-11-05

Final reportCEN23LA027
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Date
2022-11-05
Location
Aguilar, CO, USA
Aircraft
CESSNA R172E
Registration
N6051U
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Climb

Probable cause

Failure of the engine cylinder assembly, which resulted in a loss of engine power during cruise flight and an impact with a fence during the forced landing.

NTSB narrative

The pilot of the personal flight stated that while the airplane was in cruise flight, he felt a pop or shudder. The airplane began to shake, and oil began to cover the windshield. The airplane lost engine power and the pilot then performed a forced landing to a field, during which it struck a fence. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the engine’s No. 2 cylinder head was cracked. There were no other mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal airplane operation.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Performing more frequent inspections on the engine components could have prevented the failure.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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