NTSB Factual Report

On January 5, 2008, at 1545 eastern standard time, a Cessna R172K, N758FQ, registered to Rick Aviation Inc, and operated by a private pilot, collided with a fence and trees during a forced landing in the vicinity of Spotsylvania, Virginia. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal regulations (CFR) Part 91 on an instrument flight rules flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The private pilot reported minor injuries and the airplane received substantial damage. The flight departed from Manassas Regional/Harry P. Davis Field, Manassas, Virginia, on January 5, 2008, at 1520 and was enroute to Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport, Newport News, Virginia.

The pilot stated he had been airborne about 30 minutes and was in cruise flight at 5,000 feet in radio contact with Potomac Approach Control, when the engine started to run a little rough. A short time later he smelled fuel fumes and started to get nervous. He opened the air vents and the fuel smell persisted. The pilot informed Potomac Approach Control that he needed to land. Potomac Approach Control informed the pilot the closest airport was 12 miles on a heading of 280 degrees. The pilot observed an open field and initiated a forced landing to the field. The engine stopped less than a minute after he informed approach control that he needed to land. The pilot stated, "I did not try and restart the engine as I believed it would be an exercise in futility-there was plenty of fuel in the tanks and the smell of gas in the cabin was quite substantial." He elected not to make a traffic pattern and touched down long, about halfway down the field at about 90 knots and rolled through a fence into the trees.

Examination of the forced landing area by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Parties to the NTSB investigation revealed the open field ran from east to west. The field was 1,050 feet long with a down slope. A more suitable forced landing area was located in the immediate vicinity of the selected forced landing area. The airplane collided with a low barbed wire fence post, 3 to 4 feet tall, 900 feet from the approach end of the forced landing area. Three landing gear imprints were present 70 feet beyond the fence post. The airplane continued forward 80 feet, collided with trees, and stopped 50 feet beyond the end of the forced landing area. The distance between the beginning of the forced landing area and the airplane at rest was 1,100 feet.

Review of the Cessna R172 Information Manual, Figure 5-10 Landing Distance, at a gross weight of 2,650 pounds at 63 knots with a temperature of 10-degrees Celsius, the landing roll distance was 610 feet. Review of Section 3 Emergency Procedures, FORCED LANDING, EMERGENCY LANDING WITHOUT ENGINE POWER stated,

"1. Airspeed 70 KIAS (Flaps Up) 65 KIAS (flaps down)...

6. Wing Flaps- - AS REQUIRED (full down recommended)...

9. Touchdown - - SLIGHTLY TAIL LOW

10. Brakes - - APPLY HEAVILY"

The airplane wreckage was recovered to a Motor Company in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and examined. Examination of the airframe and flight controls revealed no evidence of a pre-crash mechanical failure or malfunction. The fuselage was compromised aft of the baggage compartment. The left wing was displaced forward and the left flap was buckled, blocking the left cabin door. The fuel selector valve was in the both position. The left main fuel tank was not ruptured and fuel was present. The right wing was separated from the airframe and the right main fuel tank was ruptured. The flaps were extended 10 degrees.

The upper sparkplugs were removed during the initial examination and exhibited sooty dark deposits in the electrode areas. The oil cap and oil dip stick were intact and about 1/8th of an inch of oil was indicated on the dipstick. The cylinders were borescoped and exhibited light gray deposits in the combustion and valve head areas. The No. 2 piston was found near the top of the barrel and would not move during crankshaft rotation. The engine was transported to Teledyne Continental Motors for further examination. The engine was disassembled and revealed the No. 2 connecting rod cap was separated from the connecting rod and the oil sump contained numerous metallic particles. The No. 4 top spark plug insulator was cracked near the electrode, and the No. 4 piston exhibited burn through erosion signatures from the 6 o'clock to the 9 o'clock position, consistent with a pre-ignition/detonation event allowing excessive crankcase pressure. The oil supply was evacuated through the crankcase breather resulting in the failure of the No. 2 connecting rod cap and loss of engine power. The piston skirt exhibited scoring and mechanical damage. The piston rings remained intact and exhibited mechanical thermal damage. The piston pin and plug exhibited scoring and thermal damage.

According to the aircraft logbooks, the airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed on March 29, 2007. At that time, the engine had accumulated 1,538.5 hours of operation since overhaul. Additionally, the pilot reported that the engine accumulated another 54.4 hours of operation since the completion of that annual inspection.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to follow the checklist and failure to achieve the proper touchdown point during a forced landing. Contributing to the accident was a loss of engine power due to a cracked No. 4 top sparkplug insulator, resulting in pre-ignition/detonation and the failure of the No. 2 connecting rod cap due to evacuation of the oil supply.