Incident Summary
On January 6, 2015, at about 1330 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172S, registration N2102P, collided with trees during a forced landing near Norfolk, Virginia. The airplane was operated by Eads Flight School under Part 91 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The instructional flight originated from Hampton Roads Executive Airport (PVG) at about 1300. The designated pilot examiner (DPE) and student pilot were not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage.
Sequence of Events
According to the DPE and student pilot, during an FAA private pilot check ride, the DPE retarded the throttle at an altitude of 500 feet above ground level to simulate an engine failure. He asked the student pilot what he would do to recover. The student pilot lowered the nose and maintained controlled flight. As the airplane descended, the DPE instructed the student to turn the fuel boost pump to the "ON" position and recover. The student acknowledged but did not activate the boost pump, and the airplane continued descending. The DPE terminated the simulated failure, took control, and pushed the throttle forward, but the engine did not respond and remained at idle. The DPE verified the magneto selector was in the BOTH position and mixture in the rich position, then asked the student to verify the fuel tank selector valve was in the ON/BOTH position. The airplane continued descending and collided with a tree line, buckling both wings and coming to rest at the base of a tree.
Investigation Findings
An FAA inspector examined the engine. The propeller was bent, but the exterior had minor damage. The two aft right engine mount tubes were buckled aft and broken. The engine was turned by hand and compression on all four cylinders was achieved. All spark plugs were removed; except for the No. 2 bottom plug being oil fouled, all others showed mild tan to slight over-rich soot color. All ignition leads produced a spark except the No. 2 bottom lead, which had continuity and was not grounding out. The magneto distributor cap was removed; the inner contact surface was clean, but the socket lip had carbon traces. The carbon traces were cleaned and the cap reinstalled. The engine was cleaned with compressed air, and the propeller was replaced with a serviceable one. Three gallons of fuel were placed in the right tank because the left tank was compromised; the electric fuel pump was turned on to pressurize the system and check for leaks. No leaks were found. The fuel control rigging (throttle and mixture) was checked; both maximum and minimum travel were attained with normal effort from the cockpit controls.
Engine Run Test
It was determined that an engine run could be performed. The engine was started and allowed to warm up; all parameters were normal. The engine was checked within the parameters of AD-2001-06-17, and it settled at an even 600 rpm idle, with a 10 to 20 rpm rise as the mixture Vernier was slowly screwed out. A magneto drop check at 1,200 rpm showed about a 50 rpm drop for both magnetos. The engine was shut down normally with the mixture control and then restarted with no anomalies noted.