What happened
On September 13, 2025, at approximately 0733 EDT, a Cessna 172G, registration N345QA, was involved in an accident near Williston, Florida. The flight originated from Orlando Executive Airport (ORL) at approximately 0600 with 17 gallons of fuel on board. After overflying Cross City Airport (CTY), the aircraft was proceeding to its destination at Williston Regional Airport (X60).
While transitioning from the base leg to the final leg of the traffic pattern for runway 05, the engine experienced a momentary loss of power, which was followed by a total loss of power. Unable to restore engine power, the pilot performed a forced landing in a field. During the landing roll, the nose landing gear collapsed, causing the aircraft to nose over. The aircraft came to rest in a grass field approximately 0.25 miles from the approach end of runway 05. The pilot was not injured, but the aircraft sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and the left wing strut.