N65645Cessna 172P · 1982

On August 27, 2020, about 1225 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172P airplane, N65645, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Weston, Florida. The flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight.

According to the flight instructor, after practicing holding maneuvers over the Everglades, he noticed that the engine oil pressure was "remarkably low,” and the engine oil temperature was "a bit high." He took control of the airplane and flew east toward roadways in case a forced landing became necessary. The engine then began to run rough, vibrate, and lost partial power. He determined the airplane would likely not reach the roadways and he turned toward Dade Collier Airport (TNT), Ochopee, Florida, which was about 12 miles away. The engine then vibrated "incredibly" and lost all power. The flight instructor was unable to restart the engine and performed a forced landing into vegetation. During landing, the airplane flipped over and sustained substantial damage to the wings and forward lower fuselage.

Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that a coating of oil was present on most of the underside of the fuselage, and a hole was found in the engine crankcase near the base of one of the cylinders.

Examination of the engine revealed that the Nos. 1 and 3 cylinder connecting rods were fractured near their crankshaft end. The remnants and fracture surfaces of the rods, as well as their respective journals on the crankshaft were discolored (blackened and bluish surfaces) and smeared, consistent with thermal stress/damage. The No.4 cylinder connecting rod remained attached to the crankshaft but would not rotate. The crankshaft end of the rod was discolored (black and rust colored), consistent with thermal stress. Bearing material was extruded between the rod and the crankshaft lobe. Holes were found in the crankcase near the base of the No.4 cylinder and on the bottom of each crankcase half. There were no obstructions found in any the visible oil passages in the crankshaft. The engine oil pump was undamaged, contained no debris, and operated smoothly.

The student pilot reported that during the landing flare of his second solo, after the main landing gear touched down the "nose of the airplane swung" to the right. He further reported that he attempted to correct with left rudder, and that this is where "he lost control of the airplane". The airplane veered off the runway to the left, impacted an airport sign, and came to a stop at an intersecting taxi way.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing.

The student pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

The student pilot was conducting a solo flight and landing on a 2,999-foot-long, 75-foot-wide, asphalt runway. During touchdown, the airplane began to bounce, and subsequently landed hard, which resulted in substantial damage to the nose landing gear and firewall. The airplane veered to the left and contacted a snowbank that extended parallel to the runway. The student pilot reported that he did not experience any preaccident malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. He further reported 43 hours of total flight experience, all in the same make model as the accident airplane, which included 7 hours logged as pilot-in-command.