Cessna 172 N7414N accident near Lignum, Virginia

Probable cause

A total loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

NTSB analysis

During the instructional flight, the flight instructor was demonstrating power-off stalls at an altitude of 3,000 ft above mean sea level (msl). During recovery from a stall, as the instructor applied engine power, the engine did not respond and subsequently lost all power. The instructor attempted to restart the engine and performed a forced landing to a rural highway, during which the airplane impacted a telephone pole and sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage.

Examination of the airplane revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airframe or engine. No anomalies were noted during a subsequent test run of the engine. A review of the weather conditions as reported at the surface level and a numerical model of conditions at 3,000 ft msl revealed that carburetor icing was not likely. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA19TA098 for the full record.