Cessna 172L accident near Beaufort, North Carolina, July 10, 2000
On July 10, 2000 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172L, registered N3875Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Beaufort, North Carolina (Michael J. Smith Field). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power due to failure of the No. 4 cylinder connecting rod during the first flight following engine overhaul for undetermined reasons. Contributing to the accident was unsuitable terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 10, 2000 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Beaufort, North Carolina · Michael J. Smith Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172L · all 172Ls on the register
- Registration
- N3875Q · registry record · serial 17259975
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was a maintenance test flight following engine overhaul due to a propeller strike on March 10, 2000. No discrepancies were noted by the pilot during the engine run-up or after applying full power to takeoff. While climbing about 100 feet above ground level (agl), the engine experienced a loss of power then quit. The pilot landed the airplane with only 180 feet remaining on the departure runway and applied heavy brakes. The airplane departed the end of the runway, rolled onto wet grass, and unable to stop the airplane, collided with a chain link fence. The engine was disassembled with FAA approval by the facility that overhauled it without government oversight, before NTSB notification. The No. 4 cylinder connecting rod bolts were fractured, and the connecting rod cap was straight. Due to the lack of government oversight during the examination of the failed engine, no components of the engine were examined or retained. An entry in the maintenance records dated July 5, 2000, indicates that the engine was overhauled '...per Lycoming Overhaul Manual (60294-7).' The entry also indicates that the engine was test run, and 'All pressures and temps [sic] within manufacturer specifications....'
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 975 hours in all; 260 in this make and model; 190 in the last 90 days; 130 in the last 30 days; 890 as pilot in command; 46 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,256 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 7, 2000; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRH at 3:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 4,191 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 12 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:54 pm from EWN, 28 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.
Other NTSB records under N3875Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.