ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 168848
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| Date: | Sunday 17 August 2014 |
| Time: | 11:05 |
| Type: |  Cessna 172 N Skyhawk |
| Owner/operator: | Cane River Aviation Inc |
| Registration: | N734YW |
| MSN: | 17269221 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1977 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2426 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming 0-320-H2AD |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Natchitoches Airport, LA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Natchitoches Regional Airport, LA (KIER) |
| Natchitoches Regional Airport, LA (KIER) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Before departure for the flight, the private pilot/owner reported that he conducted the preflight and run-up and that the airplane was operating normally. During takeoff, he rotated the airplane about 70 kts and the climb out was normal. About 300 feet above ground level, the engine suddenly lost power and shook violently. The pilot scanned for potential emergency landing areas and decided to attempt to land in a soybean field that was about 135 degrees to his left. The airplane overflew the soybean field and impacted a line of trees at the end of the field.
The postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the No. 1 cylinder exhaust valve rocker retaining stud was backed out of the cylinder head threads by about 5 threads, or about ¼ inch, and the valve rocker and pushrod were loose. The clearance between the valve rocker and the valve stem was too great to allow the exhaust valve to open as the engine rotated. The last engine overhaul was conducted on May 26, 1990, and had 958.1 hours of operation since the overhaul. The engine manufacturer recommends that engines that have not accumulated the recommended hourly time between overhauls be overhauled during the 12th year after the last overhaul; it had been over 24 years since the last overhaul.
A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the flaps were in the up position and that the flap handle, flap indicator, and the flap actuator were in the up position. Had the pilot lowered the flaps, flown S-turns, or slipped the airplane, he most likely would have been able to land the airplane in the soybean field, avoiding impact with trees at the end of the field.
Probable Cause: The partial loss of engine power due to the exhaust valve rocker retaining stud backing out of the cylinder head, which resulted in the exhaust valve being stuck in the closed position. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to configure the airplane and fly it in a manner that would allow him to make the emergency landing in the field rather than overfly it, and the pilot’s failure to have the engine overhauled according to the recommended overhaul interval.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N734YW
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 17-Aug-2014 23:54 | Geno | Added |
| 18-Aug-2014 00:12 | Geno | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 26-Aug-2014 23:53 | Geno | Updated [Time, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 30-Nov-2017 19:00 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Cn, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 08-Nov-2022 02:16 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source] |
| 09-Nov-2022 12:57 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
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