| Crash location | 40.328889°N, 82.526111°W |
| Nearest city | Mount Vernon, OH
40.393396°N, 82.485718°W 4.9 miles away |
| Tail number | N785SP |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 28 Jul 2018 |
| Aircraft type | Cessna 172 |
| Additional details: | None |
On July 28, 2018, about 1045 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172S airplane, N785SP, sustained substantial damage following an inflight fire in the traffic pattern at Knox County Airport (4I3), Mount Vernon, Ohio. The student pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by the pilot, under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the cross-country flight that departed Newark-Heath Airport (VTA), Newark, Ohio, about 1015. The flight was destined for Zanesville Municipal Airport (ZZV), Zanesville, Ohio.
According to the pilot, several minutes after takeoff, he maneuvered the airplane to enter the traffic pattern at 4I3, to accomplish touch-and-go landings. Shortly thereafter, he noticed a fire near the rudder pedals. The fire continued to enlarge while he landed the airplane. After landing, he safely egressed from the airplane, and a few seconds later the cockpit area was engulfed in flames.
The airplane was recovered to a secure storage facility for further examination.