N2554LCessna 172H · 1967

On April 11, 2023, about 1711 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172, N2554L, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Charles Town, West Virginia. The private pilot and three passengers were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

According to the pilot, they departed from Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport/Shepherd Field (MRB), Martinsburg, West Virginia, and flew to Winchester Regional Airport (OKV), Winchester, Virginia.  On their return flight to MRB at 2,000 ft mean sea level (msl), the engine lost partial power. The pilot stated that the engine was “sputtering in and out.” The mixture was in the full rich position and he applied carburetor heat; however, the engine did not regain full power. The pilot performed a forced landing to a field and during the landing the nose landing gear collapsed, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage.

During the recovery of the airplane, 5 gallons of fuel was noted in the right fuel tank and 10 gallons of fuel was noted in the left fuel tank.

About 1653, the weather reported at MRB, about 11 miles northwest of the accident site, included a temperature of 23°C and a dew point of -5°C. The calculated relative humidity at this temperature and dewpoint was less than 20%. Review of the icing probability chart contained within Federal Aviation Administration Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35 revealed the atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were not conducive to icing.

An examination of the airplane revealed that fuel was plumbed into the right- and left-wing fuel tanks and flowed to the carburetor without anomaly. The engine remained attached to the fuselage through the engine mounts. Crankshaft and valvetrain continuity were confirmed by rotating the propeller by hand through 720° of rotation. Compression was confirmed on all cylinders. The magnetos produced spark on all leads. The carburetor was examined and no anomalies were noted. The oil filter was examined and was not obstructed. There were no anomalies found with the engine that would have precluded normal operation.