Cessna 172RG N6303V

Summary

On 21 September 2002 at about 21:50 local time, a Cessna 172RG registered N6303V was involved in an accident near Del Mar, California, United States. One person was 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.

Date

21 September 2002 at 21:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Del Mar, California, United States

Coordinates

32.9000, -117.2667

Aircraft

Cessna 172RG

Registration

N6303V

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Carlsbad → San Diego

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX02LA292

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power due to failure of the number three connecting rod cap. Also causal was the failure of the pilot of a previous flight to report an engine overspeed event precluding the performance of the appropriate maintenance inspection.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane made an off airport forced landing following a loss of engine power. The pilot reported that approximately 20 minutes after takeoff, the engine stopped, and he made a forced landing in a dirt field. During the landing roll, the nose wheel fell into a culvert, which resulted in substantial damage to airframe structural members. The previous night, another pilot reported an "rpm bump" to maintenance personnel. They discovered a leak in the oil cooler return line and it was repaired. It was later determined that the rpm topped out at over 3,000 rpm, which requires engine disassembly and inspection in accordance with the applicable overhaul manual by Textron Lycoming Service Bulletin (SB) 3691. The SB defines an overspeed as an increase of no more than 10 percent of rated engine rpm for a period not exceeding 3 seconds. In Chart 11 of SB 3691, the engine overspeed described was greater than 10 percent, which requires engine disassembly and inspection in accordance with the applicable overhaul manual. The maximum rated speed on the engine was 2,970 rpm. The rod cap separated from the rod on the number 3 cylinder. Pieces of metal were throughout the interior of the engine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.