Piper PA-28-180 N55205

Summary

On 31 July 2001 at about 19:50 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N55205 was involved in an accident near New Milford, Connecticut, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

31 July 2001 at 19:50

Classification

Accident

Location

New Milford, Connecticut, United States

Coordinates

41.5798, -73.3998

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-180

Registration

N55205

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Oxford → Montgomery

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC01LA194

1 person had minor injuries.

Separation of the number two connecting rod for reasons undetermined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was in level flight, about 3,000 feet, with the engine operating at 2,350 rpm. It began to sound louder than normal to the student pilot, then the oil pressure dropped, and smoke began to emanate from the engine. The student pilot reduced engine power to idle and attempted to land the airplane in a field, but overshot it and struck trees. Post-flight examination of the engine revealed seven quarts of oil showing on the oil dipstick, and no broken or loose oil lines or filter. The engine had a hole in the crankcase in the vicinity of the #2 cylinder. An engine teardown revealed that the #2 connecting rod had separated from the crankshaft and had outwardly bent the cylinder skirt. The connecting rod that contacted the crankshaft journal exhibited lateral scaring, heat signature, and peening. The piston, by means of the connecting rod, was moved the length of the cylinder barrel and the stroke was limited by the destruction of the cylinder skirt. The number two crankshaft journal displayed the same characteristics as the end of the connecting rod. The #1 cylinder connecting rod was separated from the piston, and bent approximately 10 degrees at the base of the pin hole with the piston pin still in place. The top pf the connecting rod displayed peen marks, as did the bottom interior of the piston. The piston could not be moved from the top of the cylinder. The connecting rod was loose on the journal with one hold-down nut missing. The opposite hold down bolt and nut were tight. The connecting rod exhibited rotational scratching, with no heat signature. Three of four connecting rod hold down nuts were recovered. The lipped surfaces of two of the nuts displayed no rotational scratch marks associate with contacting other metal surfaces; the third nut had such rotational scarring. The engine had 6,036 hours of operation and 456 hours since overhaul.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.