At approximately 16:50 PDT, a Cessna 172P made a forced landing in a field following a loss of power on climbout, seriously injuring the student pilot. The pilot was practicing touch-and-goes at the Auburn airport when, after the third touch-and-go, he noticed a reduction in RPM at 200 feet. During a test run after the accident, investigators could only get the engine to operate at a maximum of 1,700 to 1,800 RPM and it ran very rough. Compression tests showed no compression on the number 1 cylinder and the intake valve was found mechanically blocked open. Total time on the engine was 2,260 hours and it had not been overhauled since new. Recommended TBO on the engine is 2,000 hours.
July 3, Auburn, Wash. / Cessna 172P
At approximately 16:50 PDT, a Cessna 172P made a forced landing in a field following a loss of power on climbout, seriously injuring the student pilot. The pilot was practicing touch-and-goes at the Auburn airport when, after the third touch-and-go, he noticed a reduction in RPM at 200 feet. During a test run after the accident, investigators could only get the engine to operate at a maximum of 1,700 to 1,800 RPM and it ran very rough. Compression tests showed no compression on the number 1 cylinder and the intake valve was found mechanically blocked open. Total time on the engine was 2,260 hours and it had not been overhauled since new. Recommended TBO on the engine is 2,000 hours....
Key Takeaways:
- A student pilot was seriously injured when a Cessna 172P made a forced landing due to a loss of engine power during climbout from Auburn airport.
- Investigation revealed the engine could only produce reduced RPM and ran roughly due to a mechanically blocked open intake valve causing a loss of compression in one cylinder.
- The engine had accumulated 2,260 hours of operation, exceeding its manufacturer-recommended Time Between Overhaul (TBO) of 2,000 hours.
Key takeaways sponsored by Aviator Pro | Start Your Training ->
See a mistake? Contact us.
