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| Date: | Saturday 23 September 2023 |
| Time: | 19:14 |
| Type: |  Beechcraft C23 Sundowner |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N18994 |
| MSN: | M-1998 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1977 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4052 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Gonzales, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | San Marcos Regional Airport, TX (KHYI) |
| Roger M Dreyer Memorial Airport, TX (T20) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
According to the pilot, while on final approach to the runway he experienced wind shear and elected to go around. He applied full throttle and began to climb out when the engine sustained a loss of power, so he made a forced landing to a field off the left side of the runway. The airplane collided with a fence and a tree, which separated the right wing near the wing root
Postaccident examination of the exhaust system revealed that a portion of the muffler flame tube had failed and blocked at least 95% of the tailpipe exit path. The piece of flame tube was lodged in the tailpipe. A 3-inch crack was noted on the muffler endcap opposite of the separated flame tube. There were no other mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
The muffler had been repaired and reinstalled on the airplane about 23 years before the accident and accumulated 504.84 hours. The most recent 100-hour/annual inspection, which was completed 55.4 hours before the accident, failed to identify the degraded and corroded flame tube.
Probable Cause: The loss of engine power during go-around due to a failed muffler flame tube, which resulted in an exhaust blockage. Contributing to the accident was maintenance personnel's inadequate inspection of the exhaust system during the most recent maintenance.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=193123
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=18994
https://photos-e1.flightcdn.com/photos/retriever/3a05e75b7a6de4a80936612591824816ae277da3 (photo)
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Sep-2023 16:23 | aus | Added |
| 25-Sep-2023 20:12 | Aerossurance | Updated |
| 25-Sep-2023 20:35 | RobertMB | Updated |
| 07-Oct-2023 20:38 | Captain Adam | Updated |
| 16-May-2024 08:08 | Captain Adam | Updated [Source, Narrative, Photo, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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