CEN25LA300 · Cessna 172P

On August 1, 2025, about 0802 central daylight time, a Cessna 172P airplane, N62296, was substantially damaged during an accident near Gainesville, Texas. The flight instructor and pilot-receiving-instruction were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 instructional flight.

The flight instructor reported that the airplane had a sudden loss of engine power during initial climb from runway 36 at Gainesville Municipal Airport (GLE), Gainesville, Texas. The flight instructor estimated that the loss of engine power occurred 250-300 feet above ground level (agl). The engine tachometer indicated about 2,000 rpm after the loss of engine power. The flight instructor took control of the airplane from the pilot-receiving-instruction and determined that landing at the airport was not feasible due to the airplane’s low altitude at the time. The pilot-receiving-instruction was unable to restart the engine by cranking the engine starter after verifying that the fuel selector was on and the mixture control was full-rich. Before the off-airport forced landing, the pilot-receiving-instruction moved the fuel selector handle to OFF, and the flight instructor pulled the mixture control to idle cutoff. The forced landing was in a wheat field north of the airport. The airplane subsequently nosed over when the nosewheel dug into the muddy terrain. After the accident, the flight instructor and pilot-receiving-instruction were able to release their restraints and exit the inverted airplane without injury.

According to fueling documentation, the airplane was serviced with 9.95 gallons of fuel at GLE before the flight. The flight instructor indicated that the airplane had about 40 gallons of fuel onboard at engine startup.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airworthiness Inspector examined the airplane at the accident site. The airplane had been sitting inverted several days before it was recovered to an upright position. As such, the airplane fuel tanks were void of usable fuel when examined. Engine control continuity was confirmed from the cockpit to the carburetor and the carburetor heat control. Engine crankshaft continuity was confirmed by rotating the propeller. There was no evidence of damage to the crankcase or cylinders, and there was no evidence of an oil leak. The airplane wreckage was transported to a secure storage facility where additional examinations will be conducted.

At 0805, the Automated Weather Observing Station (AWOS) at GLE reported a clear sky, 10 sm visibility, temperature 23° C, dewpoint 23° C, calm wind, and an altimeter setting of 30.18 inches-of-mercury.

According to a carburetor icing probability chart contained in FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35, entitled "Carburetor Icing Prevention", the recorded temperature and dew point about the time of the accident were conducive to the formation of carburetor icing at a descent engine power setting. The bulletin states that if ice forms in the carburetor of a fixed-pitch propeller aircraft, the restriction to the induction airflow will result in decreased power output and a drop in engine rpm, which might be accompanied or followed by a rough running engine. The bulletin also states that pilots should respond to carburetor icing by applying full carburetor heat immediately and that the engine may run rough initially for a short time while the ice melts. The bulletin further states that that pilots should use carburetor heat when operating the engine at low power settings or while in weather conditions in which carburetor icing is probable.

Verbatim NTSB factual narrative from the NTSB dataset