14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, November 25, 2012 in DeRidder, LA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 01/30/2014
Aircraft: BEECH S35, registration: N322D
Injuries: 1 Serious.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot said that the airplane was in cruise flight at 5,500 feet mean sea level when he heard an "odd" sound coming from the engine. He diverted to the nearest airport but then saw oil on the windscreen and smoke in the cockpit. When he realized he would not reach the diversion airport, the pilot made a gear down landing in a field. Before touchdown, the pilot pushed the control column forward in an attempt to avoid a stall, and the airplane landed hard.
Examination of the engine revealed damage consistent with oil starvation. Examination of the engine assembly did not reveal any blocked or restricted oil ports/galleys or slipped/elongated bearings that would result in a loss of oil or oil pressure. Examination of the cap for the oil dipstick revealed it was severely corroded and the tangs used to secure it to the oil filler tube were missing. The cap for the oil gauge rod (dipstick) had separated from the dipstick and was found several feet away from the main wreckage; thus it is likely that the oil leaked out from this location.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
A total loss of engine power due to oil starvation after the oil filler cap separated from the oil filler tube during flight due to corrosion. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during low altitude operations, which precipitated the onset of a stall.
On November 25, 2012, at 1542 central standard time, N322D, a Beechcraft BE-35, made a forced landing to a field in De Ridder, Louisiana, after a total loss of engine power. The private pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. No flight plan was filed for the flight that originated at the Shreveport Downtown Airport (DTN), Shreveport, Louisiana, approximately 1445, and destined for Lake Charles Regional Airport (LCH), Lakes Charles, Louisiana. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross country flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The pilot said he was cruising at an altitude of 5,500 feet when he noticed an "odd" sound coming from the engine. He felt that a catastrophic engine failure was imminent so he made a 180 degree turn toward the Beauregard Regional Airport (DRI), De Ridder, Louisiana. The pilot attempted to "smooth out" the engine to no avail. He then noticed oil on the windscreen and smoke in the cockpit. The pilot made a gear down landing in a field. Prior to touchdown, the pilot pushed the nose of the airplane over to avoid a stall. The airplane landed hard in the field and sustained substantial damage to the firewall, fuselage, wings, and tail section. An on-scene examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed a 3-inch-wide hole in the top of the engine crankcase and the cap for the oil gauge rod (dipstick) was found several feet away from the main wreckage. According to the company that salvaged the airplane, the bottom of the airplane was coated with oil and oil drained from the airplane for several days after it was recovered.
The engine was examined on January 30, 2013, under the supervision of a National Transportation Safety Board air safety investigator. Examination of the engine revealed damage consistent with oil starvation. The #5 connecting rod had released from the crankshaft and the #6 piston was damaged. The piston was fractured across the face of the piston and the piston pin bore was fractured away from the back side of the piston. A large hole was observed in the crankcase above the #5 cylinder. Examination of the engine assembly did not reveal any blocked or restricted oil ports/gallies or slipped/elongated bearings. The main bearing support mating surfaces were intact and exhibited no signs of fretting or bearing tang-slot elongation.
The engine accessories were removed and either tested or disassembled, including the oil pump and filter. The oil filter element was contaminated with metal flakes and a large amount of metal debris was found in the oil sump. No mechanical issues were identifed with any of the accessories.
Examination of the cap for the oil dipstick revealed it was severley corroded and the lock-tangs used to secure it to the oil filler tube were missing.
The airplane's last annual inspection was performed on November 1, 2011, at a total airframe time of 4,797.4 hours.
NTSB Identification: CEN13LA072
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, November 25, 2012 in DeRitter, LA
Aircraft: BEECH S35, registration: N322D
Injuries: 1 Serious.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On November 25, 2012, at 1542 central standard time, N322D, a Beechcraft BE-35, made a forced landing to a field in De Ridder, Louisiana, after a total loss of engine power. The private pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. No flight plan was filed for the flight that originated at the Shreveport Downtown Airport (DTN), Shreveport, Louisiana, approximately 1445, and destined for Lake Charles Regional Airport (LCH), Lakes Charles, Louisiana. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross country flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The pilot said he was cruising at an altitude of 5,500 feet when he noticed an "odd" sound coming from the engine. He felt that a catastrophic engine failure was imminent so he made a 180 degree turn toward the Beauregard Regional Airport (DRI), De Ridder, Louisiana. The pilot attempted to "smooth out" the engine to no avail. He then noticed oil on the windscreen and smoke in the cockpit. The pilot made a gear down landing in a field. Prior to touchdown, the pilot pushed the nose of the airplane over to avoid a stall. The airplane landed hard in the field and sustained substantial damage to the firewall, fuselage, wings, and tail section. An on-scene examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed a 3-inch-wide hole in the top of the engine crankcase.
The airplane was retained for further examination.
DERIDDER, LA (KPLC) - The pilot of a small plane was injured Sunday after a crash in Beauregard Parish.
Beauregard Parish Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Joe Toler said the pilot, James Murrell, of Shreveport, is expected to make a full recovery.
"A family member stated he is expected in time to make a full recovery," Toler said.
Murrell is in a hospital in Rapides Parish. He suffered broken bones, cuts to his face and a punctured lung.
Toler said a federal aviation investigator was at the site Monday, going through the wreckage.
According to Toler, emergency personnel from the Sheriff's Office responded to a call that a small plane had crashed south of DeRidder around 3:45 p.m. Sunday.
Toler said deputies located the wreckage near Ball and Granger Roads.
A resident who lives about half a mile from the crash site told 7 News they were outside in the yard when the plane flew over. The witness said they saw smoke coming from the plane which appeared to be flying very low. They also said it sounded like the plane's engine was cutting out minutes before they heard a crash.
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 322D Make/Model: BE35 Description: 35 Bonanza
Date: 11/25/2012 Time: 2142
Event Type: Incident Highest Injury: Serious Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Substantial
LOCATION
City: DERIDDER State: LA Country: US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT FORCE LANDED IN A FIELD, NEAR DERIDDER, LA
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 1 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
OTHER DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase: Landing Operation: OTHER
FAA FSDO: BATON ROUGE, LA (SW03) Entry date: 11/26/2012
No comments:
Post a Comment