Lehighton, PA, USA
N7684G
Cessna 172L
The airplane had not flown for several weeks. The pilot stated that he sumped both fuel tanks and the gascolator during the preflight inspection. The taxi and engine run-up were normal, and the airplane departed on a 2,020-foot-long, 100-foot-wide, turf runway. About 250 feet above the ground, the engine began to run rough and lost power. The pilot turned right to avoid obstacles, and the engine lost all power. The pilot then attempted a forced landing to a field, but the airspeed decreased, and the rate of descent increased. The airplane's nosegear impacted a down-sloping field. During the impact, the left wing sustained substantial damage from a tree strike, and the airplane came to rest upright in the field. Approximately 4 ounces of fluid was recovered from the carburetor, of which about 3 1/2 ounces was consistent with water, while 1/2 ounce was fuel.
On November 8, 2005, about 1415 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172L, N7684G, was substantially damaged during a forced landing, following a total loss of engine power while departing Beltzville Airport (14N), Lehighton, Pennsylvania. The certificated airline transport pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the planned flight to Slatington Airport (69N), Slatington, Pennsylvania. No flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. During an interview with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the pilot reported that the airplane had not flown for several weeks. According to the pilot's written statement, he intended to fly the airplane to a nearby airport and have an annual inspection performed. The pilot further stated that he sumped both fuel tanks and the gascolator during the preflight inspection. In addition, the taxi and engine run-up were normal. The airplane subsequently departed on runway 26, a 2,020-foot-long, 100-foot-wide, turf runway. About 250 feet above the ground, the engine began to run rough and lose power. The pilot turned right to avoid obstacles, and the engine lost all power. The pilot then attempted a forced landing to a field, but the airspeed decreased, and the rate of descent increased. The airplane's nosegear impacted a down-sloping field. During the impact, the left wing sustained substantial damage from a tree strike, and the airplane came to rest upright in the field. The FAA inspector recovered approximately 4 ounces of fluid from the carburetor. About 3 1/2 ounces were consistent with water, while 1/2 ounce was consistent with fuel. The pilot stated that he was unable to locate the aircraft logbooks. In addition, after one verbal and two written requests from a Safety Board investigator, the pilot failed to provide information regarding the date of the airplane's last annual inspection, or the airframe total time at that inspection.
The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in a total loss of engine power during takeoff due to fuel contamination, and a subsequent forced landing to a field.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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