Event ERA15LA094

Factual narrative

On January 6, 2015, about 1330 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172S, N2102P, was substantially damaged when it collided with trees during a forced landing near Norfolk, Virginia. The designated pilot examiner (DPE) and student pilot were not injured. The airplane was registered to Broad Reach Corporation and operated by Eads Flight School under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the instructional flight. The flight originated from Hampton Roads Executive Airport (PVG), Norfolk, Virginia about 1300. According to the DPE and the student pilot, during a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) private pilot check ride, the DPE retarded the throttle during climbout at an altitude of 500 feet above ground level to simulate an engine failure. He then asked the student pilot "what he would do to recover the airplane." The student pilot lowered the nose of the airplane and maintained controlled flight. As the airplane descended, the DPE asked the student pilot to turn the fuel boost pump to the "ON" position and recover the airplane. The student pilot acknowledged but did not activate the boost pump and the airplane continued to descend. The DPE terminated the simulated engine failure, took over control of the airplane and pushed the throttle forward to regain engine power. However, the engine did not respond and remained at idle rpm. The DPE verified the magneto selector was in the both position, mixture in the rich position, and asked the student pilot to verify the fuel tank selector valve was in the on/both position. The airplane continued to descend and collided with a tree line. During the collision both wings were buckled and the airplane came to rest at the base of a tree. An examination of the engine by a FAA inspector revealed that the propeller was bent but the exterior of the engine appeared to have minor damage. The two aft right engine mount tubes were buckled aft and broken. The engine turned over by hand and compression on all four cylinders was achieved. All eight spark plugs were removed, and with the exception of the No. 2 bottom plug being oil fouled, all other plugs were mild tan to a slight over rich soot color. All ignition leads produced a spark, with the exception of No. 2 bottom ignition lead. The lead had continuity and was not grounding out. The magneto distributor cap was removed, and the ignition lead socket was examined. The inner contact surface was clean, but the lip of the socket had some carbon traces; the carbon traces were cleaned and the cap was re-installed. The engine was cleaned with compressed air and the propeller was replaced with a serviceable replacement. Three gallons of fuel were placed in the right tank due to the left tank being compromised; and the electric fuel pump was turned on to pressurize the system and check for leaks. No leaks were found. The fuel control rigging (throttle and mixture) was checked and both maximum and minimum travel was attained with normal effort from the cockpit controls. It was determined that an engine run could be performed. The engine was started and allowed to warm up and all engine parameters were normal. The engine was then checked within the parameters of AD-2001-06-17, and the engine settled at an even 600 rpm idle, with a 10 to 20 rpm rise as the mixture Vernier was slowly screwed out. The magneto drop check was performed at 1,200 rpm; with about a 50 rpm drop for both magnetos. The engine was then shut down normally with the mixture control, and again restarted with no anomalies noted. The designated pilot examiner (DPE) and student pilot were conducting a private pilot check ride. The DPE reported that, during climbout, he retarded the throttle to simulate an engine failure. The student attempted to recover the airplane by lowering its nose to maintain controlled flight. However, the airplane descended. The DPE terminated the simulated engine failure, took control of the airplane, and attempted to recover full engine power, but the engine remained at idle power, and the airplane descended into trees. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures, and the engine was test run with no anomalies noted. The reason for the engine's failure to regain full power could not be determined. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Not determined-Not determined-(general)-(general)-Unknown/Not determined - C
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tree(s)-Contributed to outcome