Cessna 172L accident near Richmond, Virginia, October 21, 2023
On October 21, 2023 at about 5:40 pm local time, a 1971 Cessna 172L, registered N7716G, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Richmond, Virginia (Hanover County Municipal Airpo airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to a restriction of fuel flow as a result of a fractured float bracket in the carburetor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 21, 2023 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Richmond, Virginia · Hanover County Municipal Airpo · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172L, built 1971 · all 172Ls on the register
- Registration
- N7716G · registry record · serial 17259416
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that the flight was intended to review maneuvers. On the return to their home airport, the engine lost power. The instructor performed an emergency landing in a field where the airplane’s right wing sustained substantial damage when it struck a tree. The postaccident examination of the engine revealed that a float bracket within the carburetor fractured due to cyclic fatigue. This failure would have resulted in a restriction of fuel flow, and the loss of engine power described by the flight instructor. The fracture originated at the bracket’s interior edge with no other anomalies noted.
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 (partial) during enroute (cruise)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › Fuel control/carburetor › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 600 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 580 as pilot in command; 350 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 27, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 2 hours in all; 2 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,777 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 6, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.23 inHg
- Observation at 3:54 pm from KOFP
Weather report (METAR): METAR KOFP 261954Z AUTO 18008KT 10SM CLR 27/14 A3023 RMK AO2 SLP236 T02670139
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on December 5, 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record - Wreckage Examination Summary, FAA | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Maintenance Records Excerpts | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Materials Laboratory Factual Report 24-040 | PDF, 12 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 2 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.