C172 pilot experiences a large power loss at 1;500 ft during climb out and successfully returns to d...

Attributes
ACN	918783
Time
Date	201011
Local Time Of Day	0601-1200
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Initial Climb
Route In Use	Direct
Flight Plan	VFR
Component
Aircraft Component	Reciprocating Engine Assembly
Person 1
Function	Pilot Flying Single Pilot
Qualification	Flight Crew Private
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 40 Flight Crew Total 310 Flight Crew Type 300
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical

Narrative:

While making an initial climb out and passing through 1;500 AGL; the aircraft suffered a 1;000 RPM loss of engine power. The loss could not be corrected so I turned the back toward the departure airfield. I declared an emergency due to the increased instability in performance and the high amount of traffic in the vicinity. I was able to perform a safe landing on the runway and safely taxi back to the mechanic's hangar that I was picking the plane up from. The plane had been placed in the repair shop after I noticed an oil leak. Prior to departure; the fuel lines and tank were sumped for water and no water was observed. The craft had 2 hours of fuel on board for the 30 minute flight. Winds were light and variable; sky was clear and visibility was greater than 10 miles.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C172 pilot experiences a large power loss at 1;500 FT during climb out and successfully returns to departure airport.

Narrative: While making an initial climb out and passing through 1;500 AGL; the aircraft suffered a 1;000 RPM loss of engine power. The loss could not be corrected so I turned the back toward the departure airfield. I declared an emergency due to the increased instability in performance and the high amount of traffic in the vicinity. I was able to perform a safe landing on the runway and safely taxi back to the mechanic's hangar that I was picking the plane up from. The plane had been placed in the repair shop after I noticed an oil leak. Prior to departure; the fuel lines and tank were sumped for water and no water was observed. The craft had 2 hours of fuel on board for the 30 minute flight. Winds were light and variable; sky was clear and visibility was greater than 10 miles.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

C172 pilot experiences a large power loss at 1;500 ft during climb out and successfully returns to departure airport.