At about 1045 Pacific standard time the airplane collided with the ground following a loss of engine power during a go-around. The commercial pilot and sole passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual conditions prevailed. The passenger subsequently reported while in cruise flight at 6000 feet MSL, the pilot noticed that the fuel gauges were going down fast. The pilot diverted and attempted to land on Runway 24. However, the airplane was too high and too fast. The pilot executed a go-around followed by a 180-degree turn and attempted to land on Runway 6. Again, the airplane was too high and too fast. The passenger thought the engine lost power as the pilot was pulling up to execute the second go-around.
January 24, 2009, Oceanside, Calif., Cessna 172S
At about 1045 Pacific standard time the airplane collided with the ground following a loss of engine power during a go-around. The commercial pilot and sole passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual conditions prevailed. The passenger subsequently reported while in cruise flight at 6000 feet MSL, the pilot noticed that the fuel gauges were going down fast. The pilot diverted and attempted to land on Runway 24.
Key Takeaways:
- An airplane collided with the ground, seriously injuring the commercial pilot and sole passenger, after losing engine power during a go-around.
- The incident began when the pilot noticed rapidly decreasing fuel levels during cruise flight, prompting a diversion for an emergency landing.
- The pilot made two unsuccessful landing attempts on different runways, aborting both due to being too high and fast and executing two go-arounds.
- Engine power was lost as the pilot was pulling up to execute the second go-around, leading to the crash.
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