Pilot Uninjured and Executes Successful On-Airport Landing

The powerplant difficulties experienced by Textron-Lycoming and more importantly, its customers, continue. After a series of expensive and worrisome ADs have created havoc for Lycoming owners across the globe, problems continue to be reported... with a particularly dramatic addition having occurred Tuesday during the takeoff of a fairly new Cessna 172S.

A pilot reportedly engaged in a student training operation was in the process of an extended takeoff from the long runway at St. Augustine, FL, when the improbable occurred, Tuesday afternoon. The Cessna 172S, with a reported 300 hours on the airframe, experienced a loss of the prop and the forward part of the crankshaft, separating just aft of the crankshaft flange. Despite the dramatic loss of thrust, a resultant change in CG, and a surprisingly small amount of airframe damage; N1130T executed a safe landing on the airport on an adjacent portion of the field. According to sources at St. Augustine, this was possible as a result of the pilot (wisely) selecting a full-length departure on Rwy 13/31 rather than an intersection departure. The prop was found on SGJ's Rwy 13/31.

A valued ANN News-Spy sent us pictures of the aircraft and the evidence we've seen so far clearly shows a fairly clean separation at the flange point. N1130T was a Garmin G1000-equipped Skyhawk Model 172S aircraft, powered by a Textron Lycoming IO-360-L2A engine, and equipped with a McCauley propeller. The aircraft belongs to a Florida corporation and was being operated by Epic Aviation, which did not return a number of ANN's phone calls placed to that organization in order to get more information about the incident. Calls to Lycoming are yet to be returned, as well.

We'll have more information as circumstances warrant. (ANN Thanks the many News-Spies who came forward to fill us in on some of the details surrounding this story -- you folks rock!)

** Report created 5/24/2006 Record 1 **
IDENTIFICATION
 Regis#: 1130T Make/Model: C172 Description: 172, P172, R172, Skyhawk, Hawk XP, Cutla
 Date: 05/23/2006 Time: 1658
 Event Type: Incident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: N Missing: N
 Damage: Unknown
LOCATION
 City: SAINT AUGUSTINE State: FL Country: US

DESCRIPTION
ACFT ON DEPARTURE, ENGINE FAILED, LOST THE PROP, AND LANDED SAFELY, SAINT AUGUSTINE, FL

INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
 # Crew: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
 # Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
 # Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
WEATHER: NOT REPORTED
OTHER DATA
 Departed: Dep Date: Dep. Time:
 Destination: Flt Plan: Wx Briefing:
 Last Radio Cont:  Last Clearance:
 FAA FSDO: ORLANDO, FL (SO15) Entry date: 05/24/2006

FMI: www.ntsb.gov, www.textron.com, www.epicaviation.com