Beechcraft A36 N1559X
5 March 1998 · Lynchburgh, Virginia, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 5 March 1998 at about 21:00 local time, a Beechcraft A36 registered N1559X was involved in an accident near Lynchburgh, Virginia, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. 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 21:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Lynchburgh, Virginia, United States
- Coordinates
- 37.3992, -79.1902
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft A36
- Registration
- N1559X
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Winston Salem
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC98LA074
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
Failure of the number six connecting rod bolt due to improper maintenance.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
Shortly after takeoff, the pilot heard a loud bang, felt a thump, and saw the engine cowling deflect upward. He reduced engine power, and turned towards the departure airport. After a second loud bang, followed by severe vibration the pilot shut down the engine, and performed a forced landing to a field. Examination of the wreckage revealed two holes in the top of the engine crank case which were over 8 inches in diameter. One of the engine's number six cylinder connecting rod bolts showed signs of a catastrophic failure, the other number six connecting rod bolt was intact and did not contain a nut. Examination of the number six connecting rod, and connecting rod bolts revealed severe mechanical impact damage to the threads of the intact bolt. The broken bolt had three different fracture features. One was consistent with failure in shear, a second was consistent with a tensile overstress separation, and the majority of the third had a rubbed appearance. The connecting rod bolts and nuts had been replaced 375 hours before the accident flight. The last annual inspection of the airplane was performed about 16 months prior to the accident.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Beechcraft A36 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Feb 1998 | Beechcraft A36 | San Gorgonio Mo, California, United States | Howard R. Burchill | Fatal | 2 |
| 25 May 1998 | Beechcraft A36 | Middletown, Rhode Island, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 20 Jun 1998 | Beechcraft A36 | Nephi, Utah, United States | Garry C. Waite | Fatal | 2 |
| 12 May 1998 | Beechcraft A36 | Davis, West Virginia, United States | Howard L. Kidman | Fatal | 4 |
| 26 Sep 1998 | Beechcraft A36 | New Stuyahok, Alaska, United States | Glen Alsworth | No injuries | - |
| 26 Jan 1999 | Beechcraft A36 | Charleston, South Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Nov 1998 | Piper PA-28-161 | Melfa, Virginia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 Aug 1998 | Beechcraft T-34B | Quantico, Virginia, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 1 Aug 1998 | Cessna 152 | Culpeper, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Feb 1998 | Goins SONERAI II LTS | Suffolk, Virginia, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 Dec 1998 | Beechcraft 36 | Mathews, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 Dec 1998 | Univair 7GC-AA | Garner, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |