At about 14:50 PST, a Cessna 172RG suffered a catastrophic engine failure and nosed over during the subsequent off-airport landing. The aircraft departed San Diego at about 13:15 enroute to Camarillo on a cross-country training flight. No one was injured. The instructor said they were cruising at 4,000 feet when he heard a loud bang from the engine compartment and saw flames by the rudder pedals. He turned the fuel off and began a rapid descent. He said the fire went out and he set up to land in a plowed field. After touchdown, he held the nose up as long as possible. When the nose wheel dropped into the soft dirt, it dug in and the aircraft nosed over. An inspector observed that a cylinder had separated from the engine and was missing, along with a section of cowling.
March 29, Moorpark, Calif. / Cessna 172RG
At about 14:50 PST, a Cessna 172RG suffered a catastrophic engine failure and nosed over during the subsequent off-airport landing. The aircraft departed San Diego at about 13:15 enroute to Camarillo on a cross-country training flight. No one was injured. The instructor said they were cruising at 4,000 feet when he heard a loud bang from the engine compartment and saw flames by the rudder pedals. He turned the fuel off and began a rapid descent. He said the fire went out and he set up to land in a plowed field. After touchdown, he held the nose up as long as possible. When the nose wheel dropped into the soft dirt, it dug in and the aircraft nosed over. An inspector observed that a cylinder...
Key Takeaways:
- A Cessna 172RG experienced a catastrophic engine failure and fire mid-flight, necessitating an emergency off-airport landing.
- The aircraft nosed over after touchdown in a plowed field when the nose wheel dug into the soft dirt.
- Despite the engine failure, flames in the cockpit, and the subsequent nose-over, both the instructor and student were uninjured.
- Post-incident inspection revealed a cylinder had separated from the engine, causing the catastrophic failure.
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