ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 264028
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| Date: | Monday 14 June 2021 |
| Time: | 12:30 LT |
| Type: |  Diamond DA20-C1 Eclipse |
| Owner/operator: | American Aviation LLC |
| Registration: | N458MA |
| MSN: | C0340 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2005 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 6133 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental IO-240-B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Chesapeake Bay, near Gloucester Point, VA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Manassas Regional-Harry P. Davis Field, VA (MNZ/KHEF) |
| Tangier Island Airport, VA (KTGI) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Due to an active military operations area, the flight instructor and student pilot on a short cross-country instructional flight to an island were instructed by air traffic control to descend from 5,500 ft mean sea level (msl) to 2,500 ft msl. After the student pilot leveled the airplane at 2,500 ft msl, the engine shook violently and lost all power. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and realized that there was not enough altitude to glide to shore. The flight instructor then ditched the airplane near a fishing trawler where he and the student pilot were rescued.
The wreckage was recovered about 2 weeks after the accident and examined at a recovery facility. Examination of the engine revealed that the oil sump drain plug was missing, and the Nos. 1 and 2 connecting rods were fractured in a manner consistent with oil starvation.
Review of maintenance records revealed that the airplane's most recent 100-hour inspection was completed 4 days and 9.3 operating hours before the accident. During an interview, the mechanic who performed the 100-hour inspection stated that he remembered draining the old oil, reinstalling the drain plug with a new gasket, torquing it per the maintenance manual, and securing it with safety wire. He did not remember anything abnormal or any interruptions during the work.
Although the mechanic stated that he torqued and safety wired the drain plug, the findings of the investigation the accident suggest that the mechanic likely installed the plug finger-tight and forgot to secure it. Due to normal engine vibration, the plug unscrewed, and the engine oil drained out, which resulted in the total loss of engine power due to oil starvation.
Probable Cause: The mechanic's failure to properly secure the oil sump drain plug during a 100-hour maintenance inspection, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to oil starvation.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB ERA21LA250
FAA register: https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N458MA
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N458MA/history/20210614/1504Z/KHEF/L%2037.37056%20-76.23722
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 15-Jun-2021 04:34 | Geno | Added |
| 15-Jun-2021 14:24 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 15-Jun-2021 15:47 | Captain Adam | Updated [Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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