The pilot reported that he was maneuvering the Cessna 188 with a banner attached when he noticed a loss of oil pressure.
He notified an air traffic controller of the emergency and indicated that he could not reach an airport.
The engine then experienced a total loss of power, and the pilot made an emergency landing to a grassy area near a highway interchange in Arlington, Texas.
During the landing, the airplane collided with a vehicle, and then another vehicle struck the airplane.
A post-accident examination of the engine revealed that the oil filter adapter was loose, and no oil was observed inside the engine.
The threads on the adapter were worn and damaged. The lock nut on the adapter was not properly torqued, and oil residue was observed on the engine near the adapter and on the underside of the airframe.
A large amount of metallic debris was found throughout the entire oil filter element, which is consistent with engine oil starvation.
Maintenance personnel replaced the oil and oil filter four days before the accident. However, they did not comply with FAA Airworthiness Directive 96-12-22, which required, in part, inspecting the oil filter and adapter assembly for oil leakage and proper installation of the adapter retaining nut and replacing any oil filter adapter assembly with security problems to prevent loss of engine oil caused by loose or separated oil filter adapters because the loss of oil could result in engine stoppage while in flight and loss of airplane control.
The NTSB determined the probable cause as the total loss of engine power due to a loose oil filter adapter, which resulted in oil starvation. Contributing to the accident was maintenance personnel’s failure to comply with a Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness directive.
NTSB Identification: CEN14LA331
This June 2014 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Poor headline…GRAVITY is the force that brought the aircraft down ..not oil starvation.. .
Hi, ATP Bill, Curious – was that “deduction” concerning gravity on the ATP written?
The engine failure was caused by oil loss requiring immediate landing. The resulting accident occurred at landing from encounter with obstacles. We tend to blame the cause of engine failure for accidents. Many times they do not lead to accidents. It is the pilot choosing the best landing area for the situation at the time and then making an appropriate landing approach to touchdown. Did he actually touchdown at his desired point? Was his approach at the proper indicate-airspeed and configuration? These kinds of questions are never reported.
Mr. PIC, welcome to the 20% club (the proportion of GA accidents that result from maintenance errors and failures). Not mentioned in the Probable cause, but stated in the Factual report the oil filter adaptor used was not approved by Continental Engines… Nor was there mention in the maintenance logs that a post oil change inspection for leaks and security was conduction, or that the oil filter was actually torqued iaw the maintenance manual… oops…. there were no torque values for the unapproved part.