ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 170221
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| Date: | Saturday 27 September 2014 |
| Time: | 14:32 LT |
| Type: |  Cessna F172P Skyhawk |
| Owner/operator: | Dreamtrade Ltd |
| Registration: | G-BITM |
| MSN: | 2046 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1980 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-320-D2J |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Normans Lane, Higher Whitley, Warrington, Cheshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Leicester Airport (EGBG) |
| Barton, Lancashire (EGCB) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The Cessna 172 impacted terrain. Unconfirmed reports indicate the engine had lost power. The aircraft is based at Barton and was returning from Leicester. According to the following extract from the official AAIB report into the accident:
"The aircraft was flying between Leicester Airport and Manchester Barton Aerodrome when the accident occurred. The weather conditions were fine, with no cloud, good visibility and a light north-westerly wind. The aircraft was flying at 1,200 ft altitude, its route taking it through a low level airspace corridor between Manchester and Liverpool which had a maximum permissible altitude of 1,300 ft.
Without warning, there was a sudden loss of engine power.The pilot confirmed that the fuel mixture control was at fully rich and applied full carburettor heat, although he noted that the carburettor air temperature gauge was reading outside of the yellow caution range. The application of carburettor heat had no noticeable effect.
Unable to maintain altitude, the pilot made a MAYDAY call to Manchester ATC. He noticed that a small reduction in throttle setting produced smoother running, although there was no noticeable recovery in power. The pilot identified a field to the right of his track in which to make a forced landing. It was level and of suitable size, although it had trees running across the near boundary.
The pilot flew an approach to the field which would take the aircraft over a section of the tree line where the trees were lower. As the aircraft neared the field, the pilot began to suspect that it would not clear the trees, so he returned the carburettor heat to cold and applied full throttle in order to go-around.
The engine did not respond, and a wingtip struck the taller trees to one side. The aircraft lost speed rapidly and stalled, descending 15 to 20 ft to the ground while carrying a small amount of forward motion. The aircraft came to rest on its left side; the passenger’s door had opened during the accident sequence, allowing the passenger to escape through it.
The pilot, who initially had some difficulty releasing his harness, escaped through a gap which may have been between his door and the windscreen aperture or the windscreen aperture itself.
Emergency services were quickly on scene and both occupants were taken to Warrington General Hospital. The pilot’s injuries were found to be minor, but his passenger suffered a complex knee fracture.
The pilot believed that the loss of power had been caused by a restriction in the fuel supply to the engine. He recognised that carburettor icing was a possibility but thought this less likely for a number of reasons: the aircraft had not exhibited signs of an icing problem in his 14 years of flying it; carburettor icing he experienced in a Cessna 182 gave very different indications; and the carburettor temperature gauge showed a reading outside the caution range. The pilot also noted that his passenger later reported hearing an unusual noise coincident with the loss of power, although the pilot himself did not hear it"
Damage sustained to airframe: Aircraft destroyed, local fuel contamination of soil. Registration G-BITM cancelled by the CAA on 6 September 2016 as "destroyed"
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. AAIB: https://assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/media/54dc6d8fe5274a451100000c/Reims_Cessna_F172P_Skyhawk_G-BITM_02-15_v2.pdf
2. CAA: http://www.caa.co.uk/aircraft-registration/
3. http://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/11504373.PIC_ADDED__Miraculous_escape_for_passengers_in_aircraft_crash/
4. https://www.pprune.org/private-flying/548534-accident-near-warrington.html
5. http://www.cheshirefire.gov.uk/news-events/incidents/crews-attend-small-aircraft-crash-near-warrington#.VDCVD_ldWSo
Images:
Manchester Barton Airfield (EGCB), Lancashire, UK - 4th June 2007
Media:
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 01-Oct-2014 07:55 | Jan Olieslagers | Added |
| 01-Oct-2014 07:57 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Source, Embed code, Damage, Narrative] |
| 05-Oct-2014 00:58 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 20-Nov-2014 19:49 | Ray | Updated [Total occupants] |
| 20-Nov-2014 19:50 | harro | Updated [Narrative] |
| 05-Feb-2015 19:50 | Anon. | Updated [Total occupants] |
| 06-Mar-2015 18:52 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 19-Apr-2015 06:33 | Ray | Updated [Total occupants] |
| 23-May-2015 19:25 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 01-Oct-2015 18:45 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Oct-2015 18:48 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source] |
| 29-Sep-2017 20:18 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 23-Feb-2020 07:41 | Peter Clarke | Updated [Photo] |
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