Incident
On January 29, 2018, at approximately 0930 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172S, registration N294ME, was substantially damaged during an emergency landing on Robert Moses State Park Beach in Babylon, New York. The aircraft was operated as an instructional flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 by 30 Aviation Inc., doing business as Nassau Flyers, and registered to Hickory Lane Corp. The flight instructor, student pilot, and a passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight, which originated from Republic Airport (FRG) in Farmingdale, New York, about 0835.
Sequence of Events
According to the flight instructor, the student pilot completed multiple ground reference maneuvers. While returning to FRG, the student requested to practice an emergency procedure. The instructor agreed, climbed the airplane to about 2,000 ft above ground level, reduced engine power to idle, and had the student perform the "engine failure in-flight checklist." The student proceeded to the "unable to start engine checklist" and moved the mixture control knob about 75% toward idle-cut-off. The instructor stopped the student and returned the mixture to full rich, ensuring the student did not further adjust any controls.
At about 1,000 ft agl, the instructor told the student to increase power. When the student advanced the throttle, the engine produced about 1,500 rpm but then returned to idle. The instructor immediately took the controls, pulled the throttle to idle, and then increased it to full power with the same result. He then turned the magnetos off and pulled the mixture to idle-cut-off to stop the engine. After turning the electric fuel pump on for two seconds, he restarted the engine, but applying the throttle yielded the same performance.
At about 700 to 800 ft agl, the instructor identified a clearing on the beach, extended the flaps to 30°, and touched down at about 62 knots. The airplane slowed significantly faster than anticipated. As the instructor gently applied brakes, the nose wheel sank into the sand, causing the airplane to nose over.
Examination and Testing
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the wreckage at the accident site and found that the fuel-shutoff-valve (SOV) located between the two pilot seats, near the floorboards, was partially pulled toward the closed position. After recovery, an engine test run was performed using the airplane's own battery and fuel system. The engine started and ran continuously at multiple power settings up to 2,000 rpm without interruption. When the fuel SOV was moved to the position found at the accident site (partially pulled toward closed), the engine also produced 2,000 rpm with no abnormalities. A functional on/closed test of the fuel SOV revealed no abnormalities.
During a postaccident interview, the student pilot stated he had not moved the fuel SOV during flight. The flight instructor could not recall whether anyone had moved the SOV during flight or during evacuation. The instructor also reported that simulated engine failure procedures were not discussed during preflight.
Aircraft Information
According to FAA airworthiness records, the four-seat, high-wing, single-engine Cessna 172S was manufactured in 2000. It was equipped with a Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180-horsepower engine. The engine had accumulated 1,420 hours, and the airframe had accumulated 6,097 hours at the time of the accident. The most recent annual and 100-hour inspection was performed on December 22, 2017. A Nassau Flyers Cessna 172S normal and emergency procedures checklist was found in the airplane, with certain emergency procedure actions highlighted in red, including those for engine failure during flight.
Weather Conditions
The weather reported at Republic Airport, about 9 miles northwest of the accident site, included wind from 050° at 11 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear skies, temperature 4°C, and dew point -2°C.