Beechcraft V35A N45RG

Summary

On 29 May 2002 at about 19:10 local time, a Beechcraft V35A registered N45RG, operated by SkyWorld Aviation, was involved in an accident near Martinsburg, West Virginia, 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

29 May 2002 at 19:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Martinsburg, West Virginia, United States

Coordinates

39.3833, -77.9667

Aircraft

Beechcraft V35A

Registration

N45RG

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

SkyWorld Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hagerstown → Warrenton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD02LA053

1 person had minor injuries.

Inadequate torque of the crankcase through bolts.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was en route when the engine lost partial power. The pilot was unable to maintain airspeed or altitude, and elected to perform a forced landing to a field. During the landing, the airplane struck a fence post with the left wing. Examination of the engine crankcase halves revealed severe fretting at the number 2 main bearing bosses. The number 2 main bearing was broken into pieces and observed in the oil sump. Examination of the crankshaft revealed a fatigue fracture through the crank cheek between the number 2 main journal and the number 2 rod journal. The fracture surface and the journal surface were heat-tinted, and revealed evidence of rotational scoring. According to the engine logbook, the crankcase through bolts were torqued about 772 hours prior to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.