ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 346320
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| Date: | Tuesday 11 January 2022 |
| Time: | 12:47 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-32-300 Cherokee Six |
| Owner/operator: | Registration Pending |
| Registration: | N475RT |
| MSN: | 32-7540028 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1974 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3191 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-540-K1A5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Edisto Island, SC -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Whiteville-Columbus County Municipal Airport, NC (KCPC) |
| Stuart-Witham Field, FL (SUA/KSUA) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On January 11, 2022, about 1247 eastern standard time (EST), a Piper, PA-32-300, N475RT, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Edisto Island, South Carolina. The private pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
Shortly after takeoff the engine started to “sputter,” then stopped producing power; oil then blew out of the engine cowling onto the windshield. The pilot made a forced landing in a field and the airplane contacted a wire fence, resulting in substantial damage to the airframe.
A postaccident inspection of the engine revealed that the engine crankcase was ruptured in two places near the Nos. 5 and 6 cylinders. Subsequent detailed examinations showed the Nos. 5 and 6 connecting rods were fractured and that a counterweight retaining ring (circlip) was missing its eyelets and had separated from the counterweight assembly. Additional metallurgical examination revealed that the counterweight retaining ring failed due to fatigue. The failure allowed the counterweight roller to eject from the counterweight. Additionally, the No. 6 connecting rod exhibited evidence of a fatigue failure in multiple locations and the Nos. 5 and 6 pistons showed evidence of detonation. It is likely that the fatigue failure of the retaining ring or the fatigue failure of the No. 6 connecting rod occurred and propagated throughout the engine until a catastrophic failure resulted. The failure sequence could not be determined, but it is likely that the piston detonation exacerbated the process.
Probable Cause: A loss of engine power due to the fatigue failure of the crankshaft counterweight retaining ring and the No. 6 connecting rod.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=104516
https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/N475RT
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 06-Oct-2023 18:25 | Captain Adam | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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