The private pilot reported that during cruise flight, the Piper PA32’s engine began to run roughly.
The No. 3 cylinder then separated from the airplane, the engine lost all power, and oil began to cover the windshield.
The pilot flew via instruments and landed in a marsh near Bartow, Florida.
The right wing of the airplane separated after hitting a tree.
Post-accident engine examination revealed impact marks on the engine crankcase where the No. 3 cylinder would have been secured. The marks were consistent with the cylinder impacting the case multiple times.
The examination also revealed that several of the nuts on other cylinders were well below the required 50 ft-lbs of torque.
The engine’s most recent overhaul was completed about 12 years before the accident, and the engine had accrued about 366 hours since that overhaul. There was no record of cylinder removal or replacement since the engine overhaul.
It is likely that undertorqued cylinder nuts allowed the cylinder to come loose and separate from the engine.
The investigation could not determine if the undertorqued condition of the cylinder nuts was the result of an improper overhaul or possible improper undocumented maintenance after the overhaul.
Probable cause: A total loss of engine power after the separation of the No. 3 cylinder from the crankcase due to improper maintenance.
NTSB Identification: ERA18LA265
This September 2018 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.
Mr Klaus, the JFK accident had nothing to do with a aircraft issue, it was too much aircraft and not enough pilot, as is the case with a fair amount of incidents, and kudos to this pilot for landing and living
This appears to be an engine overhaul error issue, with under torqued cylinder base nuts. 2 cylinders had loose nuts, no torque.
At one time, sealant was allowed between the cylinder base and the crankcase, which would creep over time, causing the nut torque to be lost. examining the other cylinder bases would have been useful.
With this condition, I would have expected that the engine would be leaking oil past the cylinder bases, and should have been noticed in the 12 annual inspections since the overhaul.!?
Thankfully, this older, skilled pilot was able to go on the instruments and land it safely.
PA-32 aircraft are obviously very dangerous. The General Aviation News Staff seem to be posting more PA-32 aircraft type then any other in their accident postings.
I suspect JFK Jr. would probably agree.
I think perhaps more pilots purchasing complex and higher performance aircraft above their abilities would be more accurate in a multitude of cases.
This has to do with the service industry, nothing to do with the airframe.
PA-32 dangerous because of this? That’s absurd. It was an engine failure, not an airframe failure. The same engine is used on many makes and models of aircraft.
++1
But I’m prejudiced. I’ve been flying PA32 A/Rs for many years. And I have flown behind a few IO540s as a result.
My comment was pointed at the (GAN) General Aviation News Staff. They have hundreds of accidents to choose from each day yet, September 11, September 28 and September 29 GAN Accident reports named the PA-32.
Kinda like, pick on the PA-32 month…
Top right of this page, hover the mouse over ‘News’ then left click ‘Accidents >’. As you brief the reports notice, many of the accident reports are Cirrus and PA-28 aircraft also. It’s like calling out our kids ‘dumb’ each time GAN points out their negatives.
If I was the reporter writing these accident reports. The blame game would target the owner/operator of this accident. Each accident reported should note the regulation, if followed, would have prevented that accident. If the Owner/Operator followed these regulations this accident would not have happened:
– ( CFR Title 14 – 91.403(a) The owner or operator of an aircraft is primarily responsible for maintaining that aircraft in an airworthy condition, including compliance with part 39 of this chapter. ).
– ( CFR Title 14 – 43.15 (c) Annual and 100-hour inspections. (1) Each person performing an annual or 100-hour inspection shall use a checklist while performing the inspection. The checklist may be of the person’s own design, one provided by the manufacturer of the equipment being inspected or one obtained from another source. This checklist must include the scope and detail of the items contained in appendix D to this part and paragraph (b) of this section.
(2) Each person approving a reciprocating-engine-powered aircraft for return to service after an annual or 100-hour inspection shall, before that approval, run the aircraft engine or engines to determine satisfactory performance in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations of—
(i) Power output (static and idle r.p.m.);
(ii) Magnetos;
(iii) Fuel and oil pressure; and
(iv) Cylinder and oil temperature.