ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 231770
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| Date: | Saturday 28 December 2019 |
| Time: | 17:35 LT |
| Type: |  Piper PA-32RT-300 Lance II |
| Owner/operator: | Asterix Aviation LLC |
| Registration: | N27GB |
| MSN: | 32R-7885203 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1978 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4081 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-540-K1GD5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Adjacent to Asheville Municipal Airport (AVL/KAVL), Asheville, NC -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Asheville Regional Airport, NC (AVL/KAVL) |
| Atlanta, GA (RYY) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot reported that shortly after taking off, the airplane experienced a loss of engine power so he subsequently performed a forced landing to a parking lot. During the approach to land, he thought the oil pressure gauge was in the 'yellow,' and the engine felt like it was 'rolling back.' During the impact sequence, the airplane struck a chain link fence, and an electrical distribution box before coming to rest. Much of the airplane was consumed by a postcrash fire.
Examination of the engine revealed that the drivetrain could not be rotated during an attempted rotation by hand of the propeller. Removal of the six cylinders revealed discoloration consistent with lack of lubrication of the connecting rod journals; furthermore, the number four connecting rod was separated from the crankshaft. Removal of the accessories, accessory case, and oil sump revealed that two of the oil pump's drive gear teeth were fractured. No visible damage was observed to the idler gear which drove the oil pump. Examination revealed the idler gear would not rotate the oil pump drive gear with two separated teeth.
Examination of the oil pump drive gear indicated that the two teeth fractured in overstress under rotation. The direction of bending and shear in the teeth fracture was consistent with the direction of rotation of the gear. Given this information, it is likely that the lack of rotation of the oil pump due to the broken teeth resulted in a lack of lubrication to the engine and the subsequent total loss of engine power. The reason for the failure of the oil pump drive gear teeth could not be determined.
Probable Cause: A failure of two of the oil pump drive gear's teeth, which resulted in a loss of engine oil lubrication, and a total loss of engine power.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB ERA20LA062
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Dec-2019 23:49 | Geno | Added |
| 29-Dec-2019 07:21 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 29-Dec-2019 20:21 | Air Traffic Caf | Updated [Registration, Source] |
| 29-Dec-2019 20:49 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Operator, Location, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 30-Dec-2019 00:56 | Captain Adam | Updated [Total occupants, Narrative] |
| 01-Jul-2022 14:48 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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