The pilot reported that, during climbout on the return leg of an out-and-back flight, he noticed the engine hesitate for one or two seconds and then recover to normal operation. He continued climbing the Piper PA-28R and proceeded toward his home airport.
While approaching the airport, the engine made abnormal noises, followed by a total loss of power.
The pilot then executed a forced landing into a field near Frankenmuth, Michigan.
Post-accident examinations of the engine revealed that it had a very low quantity of oil, however no visible evidence of oil loss or indication of excess oil consumption was found.
A teardown examination of the engine revealed that all four piston connecting rods had failed. The failure signatures were consistent with a lack of lubrication.
Based on the evidence, it is likely that the engine failed due to a lack of oil lubrication, however the reason for the lack of oil could not be determined.
Probable cause: The failure of the engine due to a lack of oil lubrication for reasons that could not be determined during postaccident examinations.
NTSB Identification: CEN15LA157
This February 2015 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.
I agree. Some remedial training is in order.
I can’t believe anyone would take off without checking the oil.
I wonder if he checked ANYTHING or if he even performed any type of pre-flight inspection at all.
Signs were ever present…I know diligent checklist use will forestall bad things from occurring and even save lives.
Some operators rely on the line people or the rental facility to do all the dirty work including the oil check. Yes, I think this operator needs to go back to basics and learn the even after a landing, check the oil before departing for the next leg. If no leaks were present then he started out with low oil quantity on the first leg. When you own aircraft as I do, you always check the oil at every landing and fuel stop. It will pay dividends in the long run.
Maybe he should have paid a little bit of attention to those engine gauges enroute rather than just at runup, they are there for a reason even if they are located a bit out of the normal scan.
There is no mention of the aircraft being damaged or pilot injured. If not, then it is not an accident but only an off-field landing.
Engine failure causes the need for landing but accidents don’t occur until at or after touchdown!
Nice pre-flight check, he should have yo retake his check ride!