| Crash location | 41.582500°N, 88.542222°W |
| Nearest city | Newark, IL
41.536975°N, 88.583407°W 3.8 miles away |
| Tail number | N211FC |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 31 Jul 2016 |
| Aircraft type | Cessna 172F |
| Additional details: | None |
On July 31, 2016, about 1135 central daylight time, a Cessna model 172F single-engine airplane, N211FC, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a partial loss of engine power during cruise-flight near Newark, Illinois. The private pilot was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight that departed Wittman Regional Airport (OSH), Oshkosh, Wisconsin, about 0945, and was enroute to Morris Municipal Airport (C09), Morris, Illinois.
The pilot reported that the airplane experienced a sudden loss of engine power about 1 hour 50 minutes into the cross-country flight at a cruise altitude of 2,500 feet mean sea level. The engine continued to operate but there was an excessive vibration and a significant loss of power. The pilot reported that he verified that the fuel selector was positioned to draw fuel from both fuel tanks and that the ignition switch was selected to both. He did not engage the carburetor heat. There was no improvement to engine performance; however, the oil temperature and oil pressure gauges were indicating normal readings. The pilot reported that the engine eventually began to make a "squeaking" noise as it continued to run. The pilot stated that the engine was not producing enough power to maintain altitude and he performed a forced landing to an open field. During the landing roll the airplane collided with a berm. The nose landing gear collapsed and the airplane came to rest in a nose-down attitude. The engine firewall was damaged when the nose landing gear collapsed.
The closest aviation weather station was located at the intended destination airport (C09), about 12 miles southeast of the accident site. At 1135, the C09 automated surface observing system reported: a surface wind from 080 degrees at 3 knots, surface visibility 10 statute miles, scattered clouds at 2,600 feet above ground level (agl) and 3,400 feet agl, temperature 26 degrees Celsius, dew point 19 degrees Celsius, and an altimeter setting of 30.04 inches of mercury.