ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 387439
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| Date: | Friday 18 August 2000 |
| Time: | 15:30 LT |
| Type: |  Piper PA-32R-301 |
| Owner/operator: | Airwest Inc. |
| Registration: | N411JL |
| MSN: | 32R8213047 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3417 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: / Occupants: 5 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Kennebunkport, ME -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Portsmouth, NH (KPSM) |
| (CYAU) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The airplane was in cruise flight at 9,000 feet over the ocean when a loud bang was heard from the engine compartment and the windshield was covered with oil. The pilot said that the engine produced partial power before the engine and propeller stopped. The pilot ditched the airplane in the ocean. Examination of the wreckage revealed there was an 8-inch by 5-inch hole in the top of the engine case. The camshaft was exposed and completely fractured aft of the #3 intake lobe. The #4 connecting rod was fractured about mid point. The upper half of the connecting rod was attached to the piston pin, and the piston was staked in the cylinder. The lower half of the #4 connecting rod and its corresponding bearing cap were not attached to the crankshaft, and were not recovered. The #2 and #6 connecting rods displayed heat damage, while the #4 did not. Metallurgical examination of the recovered portions of the #4 connecting rod revealed failure modes consistent with overstress, but no evidence of a primary failure mode was evident on the recovered components. Examination of the engine maintenance records revealed that the #2 cylinder was removed, repaired, and re-installed 1,020 flight hours prior to the accident.
Probable Cause: Fracture of the #4 connecting rod for undetermined reasons, which resulted in a loss of engine power. A factor was the forced ocean ditching.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB IAD00FA076
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 03-May-2024 08:55 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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