N91PF

On November 10, 2023, at 1050 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172S, N91PF, was substantially damaged during a forced landing at Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB), Orlando, Florida. The flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight.

According to the flight instructor, he and the pilot receiving instruction were conducting a touch-and-go landing on runway 9L at SFB. The pilot receiving instruction conducted the landing with 10° of flaps, which increased the landing roll distance. During the landing roll, the pilot receiving instruction raised the flaps to 0°, added power to take off again, and, as the airplane climbed through 150 ft agl, the engine exhibited a partial loss of power.

The flight instructor stated that he called out “my flight controls” and verified the fuel selector was on “both” and the mixture was full rich. He stated that he “dived” the airplane and added flaps to try to land straight ahead on the remaining runway, based on his assessment that the airplane had insufficient altitude to complete a turn to land in the opposite direction.

The flight instructor stated the airplane bounced on the runway at high speed and was about to collide with the runway end identifier lights, so he reduced the flaps to 0° and tried to add power, but the engine didn’t produce much power. The airplane cleared the obstacle but was unable to climb. The flight instructor then made a “very hard landing” in the grass off the right side of the departure end of the runway to avoid a swamp.

Postaccident examination revealed that the fuselage and both wings were buckled and the engine was partially separated from the airframe. About 30 gallons of 100LL was defueled from both fuel tanks at the accident site. After the airplane was removed from the site, fuel was observed leaking from the fuel system. The cockpit fuel selector was found in the “both” position.

During the engine examination, the crankshaft was turned by manually rotating the propeller. The crankshaft turned freely through 720° with no binding or unusual noise evident, and all cylinders showed compression and suction. A lighted borescope was inserted into the cylinders, and no anomalies were noted. The pistons moved up and down normally, and valve action was correct. There were no holes or damage to the pistons or valves.

The engine-driven fuel pump was removed for examination. Fuel was found inside the lines from the fuel pumps to the fuel servo. The fuel strainer was opened; the strainer was full of fuel, and the screen was clean and unobstructed. No contamination or obstructions were found in the fuel system. The lever-action pumps functioned normally when operated by hand. The servo was impact damaged and broken away from the engine. Continuity for the engine controls was confirmed from the cockpit to the engine, but their preimpact positions could not be verified due to the engine being partially separated from the mounts.

The oil filter was removed for examination. The unit contained oil. The screen was removed, and no particulates or contamination were observed.

The spark plugs were removed for examination. The electrodes were normal in wear and dark in color when compared to a Champion Check-a-Plug chart.

The magnetos were removed and tested by rotating the input drives with a power drill. Both magnetos produced spark when rotated.

The two-blade aluminum propeller remained securely attached to the engine. The propeller spinner was crush damaged. The propeller blades exhibited impact damage; one blade was bent aft midspan. There was no chordwise scratching on the surfaces of the blades or leading-edge damage.

A review of the maintenance logbook excerpts revealed no open discrepancies.