Beechcraft A36 N174OD
15 March 1992 · Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 15 March 1992 at about 17:45 local time, a Beechcraft A36 registered N174OD, operated by Snyder, Michael C., was involved in an accident near Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee, United States. 4 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 3 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 17:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee, United States
- Nearest airport
- Maury County (MRC)
- Coordinates
- 35.5506, -87.1907
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft A36
- Registration
- N174OD
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Snyder, Michael C.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Huntsville → Springfield
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ATL92LA063
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE MANUFACTURER'S FAILURE TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE TORQUE INFORMATION WHICH RESULTED IN THE LOSS OF TORQUE ON THE CYLINDER HOLD DOWN NUTS AND THE COMPLETE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
WHILE CRUISING THE ENGINE DEVELOPED A VIBRATION AND STARTED RUNNING ROUGHLY. THE PILOT REDUCED POWER AND ESTABLISHED A TRACK FOR AN EMERGENCY LANDING TO A NEARBY COUNTY AIRPORT; THE AIRPLANE CRASHED ABOUT ONE MILE SHORT OF THE AIRPORT. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE ASSEMBLY DISCLOSED THAT A PIECE OF THE CRANKCASE WAS BROKEN ABOVE NUMBER 2 CYLINDER AND THE CYLINDER WAS PARTIALLY SECURED BY ONE HOLD DOWN NUT ON THE BOTTOM LEFT SIDE. FURTHER EXAMINATION REVEALED FRETTING BETWEEN THE CYLINDER FLANGE AND THE ENGINE CASE. ALL CRANKCASE FRACTURES SHOWED SIGNS OF OVERLOAD FAILURE. THE ENGINE MAINTENANCE LOGS DISCLOSED THAT THE ENGINE'S CRANKCASE HAD BEEN REPLACED ON 10/24/90; THIS ENGINE MALFUNCTION OCCURRED 258 HOURS LATER. SUBSEQUENT TO THIS ACCIDENT, CONTINENTAL MOTORS ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN WHICH INCREASED THE TORQUE VALUE FOR THE CYLINDER HOLD DOWN NUTS, AND INSTRUCTED THAT THE STANDARD SIX POINT HOLD DOWN NUTS BE REPLACED WITH TWELVE POINT NUTS DURING OVERHAUL.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Beechcraft A36 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Jan 1992 | Beechcraft A36 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Loren Kula, ET al | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Oct 1992 | Beechcraft A36 | Middlebourne, West Virginia, United States | Robert J. Carleton | Fatal | 2 |
| 30 Nov 1992 | Beechcraft A36 | Frankfort, Illinois, United States | Hoyt Investments | No injuries | - |
| 11 Jan 1992 | Beechcraft A36 | Griffith, Indiana, United States | Dalsanto, James A | No injuries | - |
| 12 Aug 1992 | Beechcraft A36 | Guntersville, Alabama, United States | Trees Unlimited, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 Jun 1992 | Beechcraft A36 | Brawley, California, United States | Clyde E. Shields | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Jan 1992 | Cessna 177B | Memphis, Tennessee, United States | Cleary, Peter J. | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Jan 1992 | Beechcraft J-35 | Knoxville, Tennessee, United States | Webster, Gordon | No injuries | - |
| 2 Feb 1992 | Cessna 152 | Shelbyville, Tennessee, United States | C & G Aircraft Sales, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 29 Mar 1992 | Cessna U206G | Lafayette, Tennessee, United States | Buckner Aviation, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jul 1992 | Burkhart Grob G103 | Knoxville, Tennessee, United States | Robert L. Davis | Serious injuries | - |
| 2 May 1992 | Schreder RS-15 | Benton, Tennessee, United States | Smalley, James W. | Fatal | 1 |