What happened
On January 23, 2025, at approximately 1515 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 172K, registration N79910, was involved in an accident near Columbia, California. The flight was being operated under 14 CFR Part 91 for personal use.
During the approach to runway 17, the pilot entered the downwind leg at a 45-degree angle. While on final approach, the pilot observed the aircraft was too high and executed a forward slip to increase the rate of descent. Realizing the aircraft remained too high to land safely on the available runway distance, the pilot initiated a go-around by applying full throttle and turning off the carburetor heat.
Following the application of power, the engine RPM began to decrease. The pilot verified that the mixture, throttle, and carburetor heat were all in the fully forward position and confirmed the fuel selector was set to both tanks. After moving the throttle aft and forward, the engine experienced a brief surge in RPM before losing power again. While searching for an off-airport landing site in the hilly, wooded terrain, the pilot attempted to turn left to return to the runway. During a radio transmission to report the engine failure, the aircraft's radios went blank. The aircraft subsequently struck trees and impacted the ground in a nose-down attitude.
There were 2 serious injuries resulting from the accident, and no fatalities.