Cessna 172RG accident near Chandeleur Island, Louisiana, May 22, 2024
On May 22, 2024 at about 11:53 am local time, a 1981 Cessna 172RG, registered N751DW, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Chandeleur Island, Louisiana. It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A fatigue failure of the engine oil pressure line, which resulted in the loss of engine oil during the flight and subsequent damage to the nose landing gear support structure during the precautionary landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 22, 2024 · about 11:53 am local time
- Place
- Chandeleur Island, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG, built 1981 · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N751DW · registry record · serial 172RG1002
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that about an hour and twenty minutes into the flight he smelled smoke and noticed that the oil pressure was decreasing. He diverted for a precautionary landing. By that time, the oil pressure had dropped to zero and the cabin was filling with smoke. He landed on a beach, and the nose landing gear dug into the sand and collapsed. The landing gear well structure sustained substantial damage during the precautionary landing. A postaccident examination determined that the oil pressure line from the engine to the firewall fitting had fractured due to fatigue. The line was bent about 360° near mid-span, and the line was fractured within the bent segment. Airplane maintenance records revealed that the engine was overhauled and reinstalled on the airframe about a month before the accident. The mechanic noted that the oil line was inspected and reinstalled after the overhaul. The airplane had accumulated 119 hours since the engine overhaul.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during enroute defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Oil › Fluid level
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Capability exceeded
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Eng oil sys (airframe furnish) › Eng oil dist (airframe furn) › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,833.4 hours in all; 4,858.6 in this make and model; 130.3 in the last 90 days; 131.4 in the last 30 days; 6,773.4 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 25, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 19,940.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 29, 2024; 119.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,649 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O360F1A6 (piston); 6,817 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HUM Houma LA at 10:29 am
- Destination: PQL Moss Point MS
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.99 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 am from KPQL, 41 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KPQL 221153Z 36004KT 10SM CLR 21/20 A2999 RMK AO2 SLP156 T02110200
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on September 11, 2024. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Investigation Photos | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Maintenance Records -- Airframe | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Maintenance Records -- Engine | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Materials Laboratory Factual Report 24-046 | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Conversation Summary -- Mechanic | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | FAA Maintenance Technician Hdbk -- General / Chap 9 | PDF, 25 pages | View Download |
| 8 | FAA AC43.13 -- Section 8-5 / Oil System Lines Inspection | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N751DW the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN24LA211.