ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 276611
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| Date: | Thursday 17 March 2022 |
| Time: | 11:30 |
| Type: |  Quickie Q200 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N3QP |
| MSN: | 2841 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1985 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 1415 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental O-200A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Spring Hill, FL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport, FL (PIE/KPIE) |
| St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport, FL (PIE/KPIE) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On March 17, 2022, about 1130 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Q200 airplane, N3QP, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Spring Hill, Florida. The private pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot was also the owner and builder of the experimental amateur-built airplane. While returning to the airport after a local flight, the engine lost oil pressure, so the pilot diverted toward the nearest airport. The engine then began to run roughly and lost partial power. The airplane was not able to glide to the runway and collided with a ditch in a field during the forced landing. The pilot described that his postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the pinion gear on the pull starter motor fractured into several pieces that entered the accessory gear case, likely seizing the oil pump.
About 4 years and 100 flight hours before the accident, the pilot had modified the pull starter motor from its original design so that the motor would fit in the airplane. Postaccident metallurgical examination found that the pull starter motor’s pivot lever was shortened. The pivot lever arm was designed to move the starter clutch and engage the pinion (small) gear to the crankshaft gear. The pinion gear teeth displayed indentations in their surfaces that indicated that they were only partially engaged to the crankshaft gear when the starter was being operated, a condition which was likely the result of the shortened pivot lever. This ultimately resulted in increased stress on the gear teeth during engine start and the subsequent failure of the gear in overstress. The liberated gear teeth likely damaged and seized the engine oil pump, and resulted in the partial loss of engine power.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s improper modification of the pull starter motor, which resulted in its failure and the subsequent loss of engine power.
Editor's note: On February 12, 2023, the pilot of N3QP added an update on the Aviation Safety Network wikibase entry with the following message:
"Following a loss of engine power due to a fractured Sprague Clutch starter gear on the Continental 0-200A engine that spread bits of metal through the engine slowly eating away at the oil pump and bearings leading to zero oil pressure. The aircraft design allowed the aircraft to disassemble itself and slowly absorb energy while slowing down. The 4 point seat belts helped. The fuselage remained intact and upright."
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.fox13news.com/news/pilot-survives-after-crashing-plane-outside-spring-hill-middle-school-sheriff-says
https://spotonflorida.com/west-central-florida/3617242/small-plane-crashes-near-middle-school.html
https://www.wfla.com/news/local-news/hernando-county/pilot-okay-after-plane-crashes-near-brooksville-middle-school/
https://www.suncoastnews.com/crime_crashes_fires/plane-crashes-in-spring-hill-pilot-ok/article_50adbbe0-a612-11ec-8f81-3b557ad1071d.html
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=104798
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=3QP
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N3QP/history/20220317/1441Z/KPIE/L%2028.49194%20-82.49470
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a31c0c&lat=28.342&lon=-82.772&zoom=10.0&showTrace=2022-03-17&leg=1
https://www.airport-data.com/images/aircraft/000/599/599844.jpg (photo)
Location
Images:
Failure Cause
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 17-Mar-2022 19:57 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 17-Mar-2022 20:47 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Registration, Cn, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 18-Mar-2022 02:51 | johnwg | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Phase, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, Category] |
| 18-Mar-2022 06:19 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type] |
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