Cessna 172N accident near Gates Mills, Ohio, August 30, 2022
On August 30, 2022 at about 2:55 pm local time, a 1978 Cessna 172N, registered N204BE, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Gates Mills, Ohio. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The instructor pilot’s decision to perform an inflight magneto check with no suitable area to land. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to correctly perform a magneto check that resulted in a total loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 30, 2022 · about 2:55 pm local time
- Place
- Gates Mills, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N, built 1978 · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N204BE · no longer on the register · serial 17271338
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot, seated in the left seat, said that the instructor pilot, seated in the right seat, asked her to perform a magneto check inflight. During the magneto check, the pilot inadvertently turned the engine ignition key to the off position resulting in a total loss of engine power. As the pilot turned the key to restart the engine, the head of the ignition key broke off. The instructor pilot transferred the controls to the pilot and attempted to move the ignition key but was also unsuccessful. The instructor pilot took the controls and performed an emergency landing into a school football field. The airplane landed hard and sustained substantial damage to the firewall, both wings, engine mount and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Instructor/check pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 303.1 hours in all; 59.1 in this make and model; 75.1 in the last 90 days; 31.8 in the last 30 days; 224.4 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 12, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,388 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 29, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O320D2G (piston); 10,412 hours total
- Operator: Pink Skies INC
The flight
- Departed from: CGF Richmond Heights OH at 2:50 pm
- Destination: YNG Youngstown OH
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; scat at 2,300 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 9:45 am from KCGF, 3 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KCGF 301345Z COR 21006KT 5SM -RA SCT023 BKN070 OVC090 21/19 A2990
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | 1 | ||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on June 7, 2023. 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, 12 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.