History of Flight
On January 25, 2017, about 1730 central standard time, a Cessna 172 airplane, N5639A, impacted trees and terrain during a forced landing near Jay, Oklahoma, following an in-flight loss of engine power. The private pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was owned by Mexico Medical Missions and was operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed from a private airstrip near Jay, Oklahoma, and was destined for the Grove Municipal Airport (GMJ), Grove, Oklahoma.
According to fueling records from GMJ, the pilot purchased 9.56 gallons of 100 low lead aviation gasoline at 1019 on January 24, 2017. A witness at the departure airstrip stated the pilot serviced both fuel tanks from fuel cans, then taxied up and down the runway multiple times before departure. The witness drove to GMJ to meet the pilot, but when the pilot did not arrive, he reported the airplane missing. The emergency locator transmitter signal was detected, and a helicopter pilot spotted the airplane in a field near a tree line about 0.75 nautical miles east of the departure airstrip.
Pilot and Aircraft Information
The 61-year-old pilot held a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) private pilot certificate with an airplane single engine land rating and a third-class medical certificate issued August 23, 2016, with no limitations. He reported 450 hours of total flight time, with 1 hour in the preceding 6 months.
The airplane, serial number 28239, was a 1956 externally braced high-wing, four-seat airplane with a 145-horsepower Continental O-300 engine and a two-bladed fixed pitch propeller. The last recorded annual inspection was completed on July 3, 2008, at which time the tachometer indicated 2,817.4 hours and total time was 5,739.4 hours.
The fuel system consisted of two 21-gallon aluminum tanks (18.5 usable each) with gravity feed through a fuel selector valve having positions BOTH OFF, LEFT TANK, RIGHT TANK, and BOTH ON. Fuel quantity indicators had a red arc warning of low fuel.
Wreckage and Impact
The airplane was found inverted on about a 40° heading in an open field with hay rolls, near a tree line. The first broken tree branch was observed 125 feet from the wreckage. The left wing had a semicircular depression consistent with tree impact. All control surfaces remained attached, and flight control continuity was established. The elevator trim was about 1.3 inches (5° tab trailing edge down), and the trim indicator was in the take-off range.
The engine was displaced rearward into the firewall. One propeller blade was bent rearward; no chordwise abrasions or leading edge nicks were observed. The carburetor separated from its mounting flange.
Fuel System Examination
About 6 gallons of blue liquid consistent with avgas was recovered from the right fuel tank, and about 2 gallons from the left tank. Liquid consistent with avgas was found in the carburetor bowl and firewall-mounted strainer bowl. No water contamination was detected. The fuel selector handle was in the right tank position, and no securing pin was installed. Pressurized air applied to the main fuel line discharged from the left tank line. The right fuel cap was vented; the left cap was non-vented. Both vents were unobstructed. Fuel quantity indications changed when the wings were rocked.
Engine Examination
The engine and separated carburetor were shipped to the manufacturer for examination. After replacing damaged components, the engine was test-run with an exemplar carburetor and produced rated power. A second test with the original carburetor's internal components and an exemplar body also produced rated power and responded to throttle inputs. Sparkplug harnesses produced spark when tested.
Other Findings
The tachometer indicated 2,848.03 hours and the Hobbs meter 1,137.8 hours. The ignition switch was found in the both position, master switch on, primer forward but not locked, mixture and throttle forward, and carburetor heat off. The Cessna 172 was not equipped with shoulder harnesses and was not required to have them at certification.
Toxicology testing was negative for all substances. The autopsy cited multiple blunt force injuries as cause of death.