N397ESCessna 172R · 1997

On October 2, 2023, about 1400 central daylight time, a Cessna 172R airplane, N397ES, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Arlington, Texas. The pilot and passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.

The pilot departed from the Grand Prairie Municipal Airport (GPM), Grand Prairie, Texas, with the intention of conducting a 30-minute flight around the local area with a friend. After returning to the airport, he entered the traffic pattern and realized that he had inadvertently extended his downwind leg while explaining the before-landing checklist procedures to the passenger. As the pilot turned the airplane onto the final leg of the traffic pattern, he noticed that the airplane was lower than usual due to the extended downwind and added engine power. The engine did not respond, and he applied full throttle, but the engine still did not respond. After determining that he could not glide the airplane to GPM, the pilot performed a forced landing to a parking lot. After landing, the airplane collided with a fence, resulting in substantial damage to both wings. The pilot secured the engine and egressed the airplane with the passenger.

The airplane was recovered to a secure facility for further examination. To prepare the engine for a test run, a repair was performed to one of the engine mounts and a test club replaced the damaged propeller. A fuel can containing 100 low lead fuel was connected to the fuel system to simulate airframe provided fuel. The firewall fuel strainer was damaged and would leak fuel freely, so the fuel container could not be routed through the header tank. A fuel line was connected directly from the fuel can to the electric fuel pump. The engine was primed and started. The engine parameters were normal, and the engine was able to provide rated horsepower. No anomalies were detected with the engine that would have precluded normal operation.

The engine logbook recorded that a mechanic replaced the engine fuel servo before the accident flight. However, the results of the engine run could not be used to determine if the fuel servo contributed to the reported loss of engine power.