ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 138090
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| Date: | Sunday 21 August 2011 |
| Time: | 15:45 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-31-310 Navajo |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N1009S |
| MSN: | 31-329 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1968 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 10878 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming TI0-540 SER |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Desert area 2 miles from Cabazon, near Palm Springs, California -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Survey |
| Departure airport: | Banning, CA (BNG) |
| Banning, CA (BNG) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot reported that, while in cruise flight about 20 miles from the departure airport, he heard a loud bang come from the left engine and then saw oil gushing out of it, followed by a loss of engine power. The pilot feathered the propeller and attempted to return to the airport. When he realized that the airplane could not maintain altitude, he made a forced landing on uneven, vegetated desert terrain, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane.
A visual examination of the left engine revealed that the engine crankcase had fractured above the Nos. 5 and 6 cylinders. The postaccident teardown examination of the engine revealed that the aft crankshaft counterweight was partially separated from the crankshaft. The trailing edge roller pin, retaining washer, and part of the retaining snap ring were found displaced from the counterweight and were subsequently located in the oil sump. The retaining washer was fragmented into multiple pieces, which allowed the roller pin to move within its respective slot with the retaining snap ring still installed. As the roller pin became partially extracted from the counterweight, it contacted a connecting rod, which resulted in a catastrophic failure of the engine. Removal of the remaining portion of the snap ring revealed that it was installed correctly. The reason for the failure of the retaining washer could not be determined.
Probable Cause: A total loss of left engine power due to the failure of the aft crankshaft counterweight retaining washer for reasons that could not be determined during postaccident examinations.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: 2. FAA: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=1009S
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 22-Aug-2011 11:47 | gerard57 | Added |
| 22-Aug-2011 13:03 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:26 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 20-Oct-2017 22:41 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 27-Nov-2017 17:06 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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