Cessna 182J N3367F

Summary

On 5 July 2003 at about 21:00 local time, a Cessna 182J registered N3367F, operated by Kenneth J. Elford, was involved in an accident near Athol, Idaho, 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.

Date

5 July 2003 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Athol, Idaho, United States

Coordinates

47.9011, -116.7286

Aircraft

Cessna 182J

Registration

N3367F

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Kenneth J. Elford

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Coeur d' Alene → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA03LA129

Nobody was injured.

The failure of one of the number five connecting rod cap bolts during cruise flight due to the associated number five rod cap bolt nut being insufficiently torqued at the last major overhaul. Factors include a culvert alongside the road where the pilot found it necessary to execute his emergency landing and the restriction of the pilot's forward vision due to a film of oil on the windshield.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While in cruise flight, the pilot heard a loud clank, and then saw the oil filler door on the nose cowl pop open. Immediately thereafter, the engine lost a significant amount of power, and the windshield began to be covered with a film of oil. The pilot therefore elected to make an emergency landing on a nearby road, and although the initial touchdown was successful, the oil coated windshield made it impossible for the pilot to seeing where he was going. Ultimately the aircraft departed the side of the road and impacted a culvert, whereupon the nose wheel strut collapsed. It was ultimately determined that the number five connecting rod cap bolt failed in overload after its retaining nut backed off to a point where it was retained by only two threads. Further examination of the nut and cotter pin revealed that the cotter pin retaining the rod bolt nut had experienced fatigue crack propagation failure in two location. It was determined that both cracks initiated at locations were the insufficiently torqued connecting rod cap bolt nut had vibrated against the cotter pin surface.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.