14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, November 20, 2011 in New Orleans, LA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 12/11/2012
Aircraft: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR20, registration: N211CD
Injuries: 1 Minor.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
Shortly after takeoff in instrument meteorological conditions over water, the pilot observed the No. 2 cylinder head temperature (CHT) rapidly increase followed by a drop in oil pressure. He declared an emergency and attempted to return to the airport, but the engine failed and the propeller seized. The pilot landed safely on the water and was rescued by a local fisherman. Examination of the engine revealed the No. 2 fuel injector nozzle was clogged resulting in detonation of the No. 2 cylinder. A review of maintenance records revealed that each of the fuel injector nozzles was removed and cleaned 5 days before the accident. The pilot said he had the nozzles cleaned because he noticed a high CHT on the No. 2 cylinder during a cross-country flight. After the nozzles were cleaned, they were placed back on the engine and two separate engine runs were conducted. No anomalies were noted. The pilot then flew a 2.5 hour cross-country flight without incident. However, on the pilot's next flight, which was the accident flight, the engine failed due to detonation.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
A loss of engine power due to detonation of the No.2 cylinder from a clogged fuel injector nozzle.
On November 20, 2011, at 1030 central standard time, N211CD, a Cirrus SR20, a single-engine airplane, sustained substantial damage when it ditched in Lake Ponchartrain, about four miles north of Lakefront Airport (NEW), New Orleans, Louisiana, after a total loss of engine power shortly after takeoff. The airline transport rated pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. An instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight that departed NEW about 1015 and destined for Dalton Municipal Airport (DNN), Dalton, Georgia. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The pilot reported that shortly after takeoff from NEW, he observed the No. 2 cylinder head temperature (CHT) rapidly increase followed by a drop in oil pressure. He immediately turned back to the airport and requested short vectors for an instrument approach into NEW. The pilot said that when the airplane was about four miles from the runway, the engine "blew" and the propeller seized. He immediately declared an emergency; slowed the airplane to 80 knots and prepared for a landing in the water. The pilot said he broke through the low cloud layer at 300-feet at which point, he extended the flaps to 15 degrees, reduced airspeed until he heard the stall horn, and deployed the ballistic parachute system. The pilot made a wings-level landing on the water and remained upright. He then contacted air traffic control to inform them he was in the water. The pilot donned a life jacket and safely exited the airplane. When he exited the airplane, he noted oil streaks on the bottom side of the engine cowling. The pilot rested on the tail of the partially submerged airplane for approximately forty-five minutes until a local fisherman arrived and picked him up. The only damage to the airplane was a wrinkle in the firewall.
The engine was examined at Continental Motors Incorporated, Mobile, Alabama, under the supervision of the Investigator-in-Charge (IIC). An external examination of the engine revealed no obvious impact damage; breaches to the engine case, or leaking oil. The only damage was from exposure to water. When the crankshaft flange was manually rotated, it stopped at approximately 300 degrees of travel before it locked up.
Disassembly of the engine revealed the No. 2 piston exhibited damage consistent with detonation. The No. 1 and No. 6 piston rods were broken and were dark in color from exposure to heat. The other piston rods were also damaged and exhibited damage consistent with exposure to heat. The crankshaft was fractured in two sections and pieces of the No.6 piston cap were found in the oil sump.
The fuel pump and throttle body were flushed to remove any water and debris before flushing the metering unit. The fuel metering unit was removed and flushed. A clean glass jar was placed under each nozzle to capture any water and debris. No visible debris was noted and each jar appeared to fill uniformly.
The fuel injector nozzles were removed and bench-tested. The No. 2 nozzle tested about two pounds below the minimum value. Shop air was then blown through the nozzle with a paper filter placed on the other end to catch any debris. The nozzle was re-tested and it produced a better value, but was slightly below the minimum value. Shop air was again blown through the nozzle and a paper filter was used to capture any debris. More debris was visually noted on the second forced air attempt than the first attempt. The nozzle was re-tested and its performance was not improved. The filters were examined using an electron microscope and several specs of black dirt were noted. The other nozzles tested slightly below minimum values indicating they were operating lean.
A review of maintenance records revealed that the fuel injector nozzles were removed and cleaned five days before the accident on November 13, 2011. The pilot said he had them cleaned because he noticed a high CHT on the No. 2 cylinder during a cross country flight from Louisiana to Arkansas. After the nozzles were cleaned, they were placed back on the engine and two separate engine runs were conducted. No anomalies were noted. The pilot then flew back to Louisiana (a 2.5 hour flight) and everything was "normal." However, on his next flight, which was the accident flight, the subsequent engine failure occurred.
After Thomas Glass realized his single-engine plane was malfunctioning over Lake Pontchartrain, he notified the tower at Lakefront Airport before his plane crashed into the water. When Levee District firefighters arrived, Glass was perched on the tail of the sinking plane waiting for them, Orleans Levee District Police Capt. Craig Boudreaux said.
Glass, who is a fighter pilot in the National Guard, was the only passenger and was not badly injured, Boudreaux said.
Soon after Glass, 35, of New Orleans, departed from the New Orleans Lakefront Airport in his Cirrus SR22 single-engine plane, he realized the engine was malfunctioning and notified the tower at 10:38 a.m., Boudreaux said. It crashed into the lake about 3 or 4 miles from the airport.
Firefighters with the airport's Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting district flagged down a private boat in the lake, which took them out to find Glass and the plane.
Emergency Medical Services took Glass to Tulane University Hospital for minor injuries, said EMS spokesman Jeb Tate.
The plane is still in the lake, but the Coast Guard has placed buoys to notify boaters that it's there, Boudreaux said. Glass will have to determine how he will salvage his plane.
http://registry.faa.gov/N211CD
A pilot is currently at the hospital recovering after his plane suffered an engine failure just after he took off from the Lakefront Airport this morning. According to New Orleans Levee Police, the pilot, who has not yet been identified took off in a single-engine plane just after 10:30 Sunday morning.
The pilot immediately reported engine trouble and radioed the tower for help, stating he knew the plane would not make it back to the runway. Rescue crews sent a boat out on the water and the man was rescued and taken to the hospital. The pilot has no major injuries and is recovering at the hospital at this time.
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The United States Coast Guard Sector New Orleans is investigating a plane crash in Lake Pontchartrain. The aircraft crashed into the water Sunday around 10:30a.m. about three and a half miles North of New Orleans Lakefront Airport. The pilot was the only person on board and identity or the condition of the pilot is unknown at this time.
A Coast Guard spokesperson tells FOX 8 that the New Orleans station launched both a rescue boat and helicopter after receiving the call of the crash. Captain Tony Collins, a Lakefront Airport firefighter and a person fishing in a boat near the shore witnessed the crash. They both responded to the scene in the fishing boat. When they arrived, they found the pilot on the tail of the partially-submerged plane, still conscious. They brought the pilot back to Lakefront Airport where an ambulance was waiting to take the pilot to a local hospital.
The aircraft is described as an SR 20 single-engine plane.
NEW ORLEANS — A spokesman for the FAA says four-seat airplane crashed into Lake Pontchartrain shortly after taking off from Lakefront Airport.
Lynn Lunsford says the pilot notified controllers shortly after he was airborne that he was having engine trouble. The single-engine plane hit the lake at 10:38 a.m. Sunday.
Lunsford said the pilot pulled the emergency parachute that is built into the plane and notified the airport moments later that he was OK.
Lunsford said the pilot was sitting on the tail of the plane when a fishing boat arrived to rescue him.
The man, whose name was not immediately available, was the only passenger on the plain. He appeared unhurt, Lunsford said, but was taken to a hospital as a precaution.
Plane Crashes Near Lakefront Airport - Pilot Rescued, Taken To Hospital
Plane Crashes Near Lakefront Airport - Pilot Rescued, Taken To Hospital
NEW ORLEANS -- A pilot is recovering after crashing his plane near the Lakefront Airport.
Emergency crews said the single-engine plane took off about 10:37 a.m. Sunday from the Lakefront Airport and the pilot immediately reported engine trouble.
Officials said air control crews tried to help get the pilot back to the airport but he radioed them to say the plane would not make it.
Rescue crews said the plane crashed into a lake and sank.
The pilot was rescued from the lake and taken to a local hospital. His condition has not been released.
Officials said he was the only person in the plane.
Private plane crashes into Lake Pontchartrain
A spokesman for the FFA says a four-seat airplane crashed into Lake Pontchartrain shortly after taking off from Lakefront Airport Sunday morning.
Lynn Lunsford says the pilot notified controllers shortly after he was airborne that he was having engine trouble.
The single-engine plane hit the lake at 10:38 a.m. Sunday.
Lunsford said the pilot pulled the emergency parachute that is built into the plane and notified the airport moments later that he was OK.
Lunsford said the pilot was sitting on the tail of the plane when a fishing boat arrived to rescue him.
The man, whose name was not immediately available, was the only passenger on the plane.
He appeared unhurt, Lunsford said, but was taken to a hospital as a precaution.
A spokesman for the FFA says a four-seat airplane crashed into Lake Pontchartrain shortly after taking off from Lakefront Airport Sunday morning.
Lynn Lunsford says the pilot notified controllers shortly after he was airborne that he was having engine trouble.
The single-engine plane hit the lake at 10:38 a.m. Sunday.
Lunsford said the pilot pulled the emergency parachute that is built into the plane and notified the airport moments later that he was OK.
Lunsford said the pilot was sitting on the tail of the plane when a fishing boat arrived to rescue him.
The man, whose name was not immediately available, was the only passenger on the plane.
He appeared unhurt, Lunsford said, but was taken to a hospital as a precaution.
