- Location: Westerly, RI
- Accident Number: CEN26FA192
- Date & Time: May 18, 2026, 12:05 Local
- Registration: N733CP
- Aircraft: Cessna 172N
- Injuries: 1 Fatal
- Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Flight test
On May 18, 2026, about 1205 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N733CP, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Westerly, Rhode Island. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 post-maintenance flight.
The operator reported that the pilot was conducting a post-maintenance test flight to verify proper operation of the alternator. A local police department officer saw the airplane flying extremely low when it banked hard to the point where the wings were almost at a ninety-degree angle and the airplane was losing altitude. He said the airplane appeared to be operating at an extremely slow speed and in a manner of seconds it descended behind the tree line. The officer found the airplane crashed in a farm field and leaking fuel.
Another witness saw the airplane and said it looked like it was going slower than normal. The airplane turned right and appeared to keep rolling right as if the wind caught it. It appeared to keep rolling until it was almost upside down and the witness could see the bottom of the airplane as it dove toward the field. The witness went to the accident site where he could smell fuel from the airplane.
A third witness was sitting in his parked car and saw the airplane begin a turn to the right and heard the engine “throttle up.” He also stated that when the airplane began the turn to the right it looked like the wind took the airplane and made it roll right. It continued to roll and nosed down toward the ground, behind the trees. The witness heard the crash and drove to the accident site where he saw the other two witnesses pulling the pilot from the airplane which was leaking fuel.
The physical evidence and ground scars were consistent with the airplane impacting the ground right wingtip first at roughly a 90 degree angle, whereupon it cartwheeled and came to rest facing opposite the direction of flight, about 70 feet away.
A postaccident examination of the airplane was conducted. All major components of the airplane were located at the accident site. Flight control continuity was established for the rudder and elevator controls. The right aileron direct control cable was found fractured about 18 inches from the center of the aileron direct cable turnbuckle below the aileron direct control cable drum. The lower (aft) pulley exhibited rust color staining along a segment of the pulley contact surface. The aileron control cable pulleys did not appear worn and rotated freely. The cable was cut about 6 inches away from the fracture on both sides and retained for further examination. The flap switch in the cockpit was found at the 30° position and the flap actuator was measured and found to be at the 40° position.
The airframe fuel system was examined. The right wing fuel tank was heavily impact damaged and breached. The left wing fuel tank contained residual fuel. All the fuel tank finger screens were removed and found free of debris. The gascolator contained light debris but the screen was clean. The fuel tank vent line to the wing was found obstructed by foreign object debris that looked like dirt/mud like that of a mud dauber. Both wing tanks had vented fuel caps that were found to be in working order.
The engine was examined. No anomalies were noted in the induction system. The induction air filter was covered with organic material from the impact, but was intact and in good condition. The induction pipes were secure and no blockages noted.
The left and right magnetos remained secure to the accessory housing. The magnetos were removed and spark was observed on all 4 posts when the impulse couplings were actuated. The drives were secured with appropriate hardware. The ignition harnesses exhibited impact damage but the lead ends remained secure to each sparkplug. The harness caps remained secure to each magneto. All the sparkplugs were secure in the engine. The electrodes were light grey in color consistent with normal engine operation.
The carburetor remained secure to the engine’s induction plenum with the carburetor heat valve attached to it. The carburetor heat valve was crushed from impact forces and its control cable remained secure to the carb heat lever. The throttle lever was about 7/16 of an inch off the full throttle stop. The mixture control cable remained secure to the mixture lever, which was at the full rich position. The carburetor was partially disassembled. The float assembly was whole and moved appropriately, blue fluid consistent with 100LL aviation fuel was present in the bowl.
