Cessna 172P Stall and Crash During Simulated Engine Failure at Lake St. John

Incident Overview and Flight Details On 29 January 2004, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada released its final report regarding an accident involving a float-equipped Cessna 172P, registration C-GNRJ, serial number 17275283. The aircraft, manufactured in 1981 with 9,826 flight hours, was operated by Orillia Aviation Limited for flight instruction and rental. At 1130 eastern daylight time, the aircraft departed from Lake St. John near Orillia, Ontario, with an instructor and a student on board. The flight was intended to allow the student to practice take-offs, landings, and simulated engine failures on departure. During the climb following the second takeoff, the instructor simulated an engine failure by pulling the throttle back to idle. The student executed a 180-degree turn as part of a simulated forced approach back to Lake St. John. During this maneuver, the aircraft stalled, pitched nose down, and crashed into a swampy area along the shoreline. The aircraft came to rest inverted with its nose embedded in the swamp. Fishermen on the lake rescued both occupants from the partially submerged aircraft. Neither the instructor nor the student was wearing a shoulder harness, and both sustained serious injuries.