Cessna R172K accident near Goleta, California, August 2, 2007
On August 2, 2007 at about 2:42 am local time, a Cessna R172K, registered N458BJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Goleta, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The oil starvation and failure of the number one piston connecting rod and bearing that was due to the fragmentation of the number 2 main bearing, which then obstructed the engine oil pickup tube and restricted the flow of oil through the engine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 2, 2007 · about 2:42 am local time
- Place
- Goleta, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R172K · all R172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N458BJ · registry record · serial R1722962
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was 15 miles east of the destination airport, at 1,500 feet msl, when the engine gauges started to indicate low oil pressure and high oil temperatures. About 8 miles east of the airport, the engine experienced a loss of power, and produced a puff of white-gray smoke combined with loud clanking sounds. The airplane was at 1,200 feet, and the pilot directed the airplane towards an open field above a stretch of beach. During the landing roll, the airplane came to the end of the field, nosed over the edge of a 50-foot cliff, and came to rest on the beach below. The engine had been factory rebuilt in 2002, and had accumulated 1441.5 hours since the last major overhaul. An examination of the engine revealed a 2.7-inch hole in the top of the engine case, shiny copper fragments from the number 2 main bearing in the oil sump, and one bearing fragment in the oil pickup screen. Additionally, the bearing material of the number 2 main bearing had partially displaced itself and extruded between the crankshaft journal and the crankcase. The bearing fragments were somewhat shiny or polished, indicating they received lubrication and were not exposed to extreme temperature. Numerous fragments from the number 2 main bearing were located in the oil sump. The sizes of the fragments were generally too large to enter the oil sump pickup tube but could obstruct the pickup tube orifice, restricting the oil flow. Engine oil analysis records indicate a sudden increased level of copper from 5.3 parts per million (ppm) to 61.2 ppm occurred sometime within the previous 63.1 hours of operation. Engine journal bearing material is the only material within the engine that has a significant copper component. This increase in copper levels is directly related to the gradual deformation and fragmentation of the number 2 main bearing. The number 1 connecting rod had failed under overload that resulted from extreme temperatures at the connecting rod bearing that were consistent with oil starvation. The number 1 connecting rod bearing receives oil pressure from the oil pump through the number 1 main bearing, and would be one of the first bearings to be effected by reduced oil flow.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,750 hours in all; 370 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 1,660 as pilot in command; 850 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,490 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2006; 154.9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IO-360-KB(8) (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KLPC Lompoc CA at 2:30 am
- Destination: KSBA Santa Barbara CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 am from KSBA, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.