The pilot reported that he was returning from an air race competition and that, about 15 minutes into the flight, he heard a “thump” and thought the Lancair Legacy had struck a bird. He then heard a second “thump” along with a “rattle and vibration,” so he found a place to make a forced landing.
While preparing to land, he heard an “explosion” and then saw flames by his left foot and black smoke fill the cockpit. The pilot made a forced landing to a field near Livingston, Texas, and exited the airplane before it was destroyed by fire.
Post-accident examination of the engine revealed that the No. 3 cylinder’s exhaust rocker cover was present but that it was only installed on the cylinder by one screw. The other four screws were missing.
The No. 3 cylinder’s intake rocker cover and aft rocker arm bolt were missing. The forward rocker arm bolt was installed but loose, and visible rubbing was observed on the boss where the missing bolt was supposed to be installed.
According to the engine manufacturer, if a rocker cover is not installed, the engine will port out most of its oil in several minutes. Therefore, the missing rocker cover likely resulted in the engine losing a significant amount of oil during the flight, which led to a catastrophic and uncontained engine failure.
It is also likely that, when the crankcase was breached, the fuel lines and the electronic fuel transducer were compromised, which resulted in the subsequent in-flight fire.
The No. 3 cylinder intake rocker cover was not located at the accident site, and the pilot reported that he did not know why the rocker cover and aft rocker arm bolt were not installed or why the exhaust rocker cover was only partially installed.
He said that the engine performed great during the air race and that he did not perform engine maintenance after the race.
The NTSB determined the probable cause as a catastrophic and uncontained engine failure due to oil starvation. Contributing to the accident was the missing No. 3 cylinder intake rocker cover for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.
NTSB Identification: CEN15LA018
This October 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.
Apparently parts that look simple can cause a major problem.
He was lucky to get out alive.
For someone who is in the racing business this guy apparently thinks it is like a drive in the park. Why wouldn’t a person thoroughly check over the power-plant before departing for home after a racing session.
Most racers remove the cowling before the race and after they are done, to postflight the beast before going anywhere else..
I agree with you completely. Any type of hardcore racing requires a very high level of maintenance especially if you are flying the race vehicle to & from the race. It is no walk in the park & I bet he has learned a valuable lesson that he won’t soon forget. That being said, I too am an experimental aircraft pilot. It’s all too easy to become complacent & grow to trust your plane after years of reliable performance. You really do need to take the cowling off often & regularly & if it’s having the crap run out of it like in a race, it really should come off every flight.
http://dms.ntsb.gov/public/57000-57499/57319/573629.pdf
The image of the valve cover with the missing bolts and screws says it all. It looks like SOMEONE loosened the fasteners or failed to property torque and tighten them. It’s amazing that only one screw remained in place. Continental Engines said it would only take “minutes” for the oil to port from the engine once the cover came loose. The pilot was lucky to survive this maintenance induced failure/fire.