CESSNA 172K

Full Narrative

On September 20, 2025, about 1733 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172K, N78938, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Salisbury, Connecticut. The flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight.
The flight instructor reported that after departing they climbed to 7,000 ft mean sea level (msl) and had been in cruise flight for about 10 minutes when the engine rpm dropped about 100 rpm. The flight instructor turned on the carburetor heat and the engine rpm continued to drop to about 1,400 rpm as the airplane began to descend. The engine then began to “pulsate” between 1,400 and 2,000 rpm until the airplane reached about 3,500 ft msl, when the engine then experienced a total loss of power. The flight instructor reported the issue to air traffic control as soon as he noticed the engine rpm issues and was informed that the closest airport was 20 miles away. The flight instructor noted that they were flying above a racetrack and decided that would be the safest place to conduct the forced landing. He completed the “rough running engine in flight” and “engine failure during flight” checklists but was unable to restore engine power. The flight instructor subsequently conducted a forced landing to the racetrack. The airplane impacted a guardrail, which resulted in substantial damage to the engine mounts and fuselage.
The airplane was retained for further examination.