Cessna 172F accident near Saint Clair, MN
On September 22, 1996, a Cessna 172F (airplane) was involved in an accident near Saint Clair, MN. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 22, 1996
- Place
- Saint Clair, MN
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172F · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 44.080°N, 93.850°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X06689
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 22, 1996, at 1125 central daylight time (cdt), a Cessna 172F, N5373R, operated by a private pilot was destroyed when during cruise flight, the airplane's engine lost partial power. The airplane subsequently impacted into a corn field one mile east of Saint Clair, Minnesota. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. No flight plan was on file. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The local flight originated at Waseca, Minnesota, at 1120 cdt. A witness, who was in his garage, first heard the airplane make a back firing sound. The witness went out of his garage and observed the airplane coming out of the north, heading south toward his house at low altitude. When the airplane was over the witness' house, it turned to the southwest. The witness went around to his back yard to get a better view of the airplane. The witness saw the airplane initiate a "fast" left turn and then go straight down into a corn field. Three other witnesses were in a shed loading tools into a truck when they heard a steady series of bangs. The first witness described the sound "like a shotgun going off." The witnesses went out of the shed and observed the airplane coming toward them from the northeast. The second witness said the airplane looked as if it was "slowly losing altitude." The witness said the airplane went over their yard at about 500 to 600 feet above the ground and headed south to southwest rocking its wings slightly. All three witnesses got into a car and followed the
Probable cause
a loss of power due to the engine's #2 cylinder exhaust valve stuck open, and the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed.
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Browse: Minnesota · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
