On June 9, 2012, about 1130 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172B, N7458X, made an off-airport forced landing near San Andreas, California. Springfield Flying Service LLC was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The commercial pilot and one passenger were not injured; one passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage from impact forces. The local sightseeing flight departed Columbia, California, about 1050. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.The pilot reported that the airplane was in cruise flight at 4,000 feet mean sea level (msl) when the engine suddenly stopped producing power. He attempted to glide to a nearby airport, but landed in uneven terrain near the airport boundary.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge oversaw examination of the wreckage. A detailed report is part of the public docket for this accident.
The fuel tank vents were clear. The gascolator screen and bowl were clean, and the bowl was full of a light blue fluid that smelled like aviation gasoline. The fuel line from the gascolator to the carburetor was pulled out of the carburetor with the filter screen still attached; the screen was clean. Moving the fuel selector valve from the off to open positions resulted in fluid flowing out of the line.
The crankshaft rotated freely when manually rotated using the propeller. Thumb compression was obtained on all cylinders in firing order. All spark plug electrodes were clean with no mechanical deformation. Spark was observed at 11 of the 12 ignition leads when manually rotating the magnetos. The carburetor sustained crush damage, and separated from the engine.
No anomalies were noted that would have precluded normal operation.