On June 22, 2007, a Cessna 172R (registration EC-ITY) was involved in an aviation accident near Leganés (Madrid), ES. No fatalities were reported. This summary draws on records from the Spanish Civil Aviation Accident and Incident Investigation Commission (CIAIAC); 1 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
On 22 June 2007, Cessna 172R EC-ITY made a forced landing near Madrid/Cuatro Vientos after a power failure during a training flight. The instructor and student pilot were uninjured.
Accident overview and location On Friday, 22 June 2007, at 09:40 local time, a Cessna 172R registered EC-ITY made a forced landing in the municipality of Leganés, Madrid. The aircraft was operated by American Flyers España, S.L., and was on a local training flight over Madrid/Cuatro Vientos Airport. The flight was a dual-instruction sortie focused on takeoffs and landings, with a commercial pilot instructor and a student pilot aboard. ## Flight sequence and power failure The aircraft took off at 09:12 after satisfactory preflight checks and engine tests. After one takeoff and landing, the crew established on a left downwind for runway 28. While turning to base, the student reduced power to begin the descent and then realized the power had been cut too early. When the throttle was advanced, the engine did not respond. The instructor tested the throttle control and found normal movement and friction, but the engine remained at idle. The engine also did not respond when the electric fuel pump was briefly engaged. The instructor notified the control tower, declared an emergency, and initially stated that the aircraft would proceed direct to the runway 28 threshold. The first radio call was made at 09:21:41. Thirty-seven seconds later, the pilot informed the tower that the runway could not be reached and that a forced landing would be attempted in a nearby field. ## Forced landing and impact The aircraft selected a grassy area southeast of the runway 28 threshold, near the junction of the M-45 and M-40 motorways. Before landing, the crew performed the emergency landing procedure, extended the flaps to full deflection, and secured the cabin. The aircraft contacted the ground in a grassy area with a steep upward slope. The left main landing-gear leg struck first, followed almost simultaneously by the right main leg and the nose gear. The nose gear broke and detached, and the left main wheel was torn off one meter further along. The aircraft continued moving on the nose, the intact right main leg, and the left main leg without its wheel. Ten meters beyond the initial contact point, the front of the aircraft dug into the ground, causing it to overturn and come to rest inverted at coordinates 40° 21’ 24” N / 3° 45’ 53” W. ## Damage and occupant condition The main damage included a broken nose gear and left main landing gear, a bent propeller blade, and damage to the engine/propeller assembly from the impact. The lower engine cowling was broken, and some engine accessories and lines were affected. Primary structure damage was concentrated in the rear cabin frame, the fuselage-to-tail attachment rib, and the rudder tip. Emergency services responded immediately, and a helicopter located the aircraft shortly after 09:24. The helicopter crew reported that the occupants had already evacuated the aircraft on their own, appeared uninjured, and there were no signs of fire. The helicopter then guided fire services to the scene. The proper condition of the safety harnesses contributed to the instructor and student pilot remaining uninjured. ## Aircraft and maintenance information The aircraft held airworthiness certificate No. 5499 for normal-category airplanes, issued on 18 May 2005 and valid until 30 February 2008. In the period from 31 May 2007 to the day before the accident, the aircraft had completed 49 flights totaling 56:55 hours. On 21 June 2007, it performed five training flights totaling 6 hours. The total aircraft time on the day before the accident was 2,242:10 hours. The Lycoming IO-360-L2A engine, serial number RL-30020-51E, had been installed on 11 January 2007 when the aircraft had 1,998:15 hours. The engine was rebuilt in accordance with applicable manufacturer specifications, with applicable service bulletins and airworthiness directives complied with and new or properly authorized parts used. The rebuild was completed on 14 September 2006. Subsequent inspections were performed at 50 hours on 14 March 2007, at 98 hours on 17 April 2007, at 142 hours on 14 May 2007, and at 187 hours on 5 June 2007. On the day before the accident, the engine had 235:35 hours, leaving 14:25 hours before its next inspection. Three deferred anomalies were listed in the aircraft’s deferred-defect log: two from 1 February 2007 (scratched exhaust and two missing links), analyzed on 17 April 2007 and deferred for later review, and one from 14 May 2007 concerning an incorrect Mode C transponder indication of 1,000 feet high. ## Airport, weather, and communications Madrid/Cuatro Vientos Airport has a single runway oriented 10-28, 1,500 m long and 30 m wide, with a field elevation of 2,269 ft. The traffic circuit is established to the south of the runway at 2,925 ft, corresponding to 656 ft above the field. Most of the base and approach segments for runway 28 overfly urban areas with no suitable forced-landing zones. At the time of the power failure, the aircraft was at the beginning of the base leg, and the nearest suitable area was the one selected by the pilot. Weather conditions were normal for the season and suitable for local training flights. The wind was very light and variable on the runway, with no visibility restrictions. ## Findings from the accident site The forced landing occurred in an agricultural area southeast of the airport, bounded by the M-40 to the north, M-45 to the west, R-5 to the south, and M-411 to the east. The area is mostly flat but has a small east-west gully in the center with steep local slopes. Two power lines run parallel to the gully, separated by slightly less than 60 m. During the final approach, the aircraft passed under both power lines and contacted the ground near the second line, at the start of the upward slope. Cockpit controls and switches were found in the following positions: master switch OFF, throttle back, mixture cut, magnetos OFF, fuel valve cut, and flaps full down. At the accident site, the cables connecting the throttle and mixture controls to the corresponding engine systems were found in good condition, maintaining continuity and transmitting control movements properly.