ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 162097
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| Date: | Monday 11 November 2013 |
| Time: | 08:30 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N1830T |
| MSN: | 28-7125231 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1971 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-360-A1A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Near Everglades Nat'l Park, FL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Key West, FL (EYW) |
| Sarasota/bradenton, FL (SRQ) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The student pilot reported that the airplane was in cruise flight at 5,500 ft mean sea level when the engine began to vibrate. Shortly after, the engine “began coming apart” with pieces striking the underside of the cowling, indicative of a catastrophic failure. The student pilot performed a forced landing to a swampy area. The airplane came to rest in shallow water and sustained substantial fuselage damage.
Examination of the engine revealed that the No. 3 cylinder had separated from the crankcase. During subsequent examination, both through bolts and three of the four remaining cylinder studs were also found fractured, and the fracture surfaces were consistent with fatigue cracking, likely due to insufficient application of torque on the through bolts during installation or the loss of torque in the through bolts. Additionally, unapproved room temperature vulcanization-type material found on the crankcase halves could have contributed to a loss of torque on the through bolts, but a definitive determination could not be made. The engine was overhauled about 28 years before the accident, and it had been operated for about 1,050 total hours since the overhaul. The airplane’s most recent annual inspection was performed about 8 months before the accident, and it had been operated about 230 hours since the inspection. Available maintenance records did not reveal any in-service cylinder replacements or reinstallations.
Probable Cause: A total loss of engine power due to the in-flight separation of the No. 3 cylinder because of the fatigue cracking of its respective mounting studs and through bolts, which resulted from inadequate maintenance by unknown personnel.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N1830T
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 13-Nov-2013 00:24 | Geno | Added |
| 22-Nov-2013 01:07 | Geno | Updated [Time, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 29-Nov-2017 09:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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