Cessna 205 N124A

Summary

On 15 June 2003 at about 17:15 local time, a Cessna 205 registered N124A was involved in an accident near Jeannette, Pennsylvania, United States. 5 people were on board and 4 died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 June 2003 at 17:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Jeannette, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Greensburg Jeannette Regional (5G8)

Coordinates

40.3797, -79.6072

Aircraft

Cessna 205

Registration

N124A

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Jeannette → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC03FA131

4 people died.

The loss of power caused by fragments of the air filter being ingested in the engine. A factor was the pilot's delayed decision to perform a forced landing after experiencing a partial loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Witnesses observed the airplane depart to the north, and experience a partial loss of power during the takeoff climb. The airplane then began a turn to the left, and initiated what appeared to be a right base entry for a landing on runway 20. The airplane continued the turn, past 270 degrees, and as it flew beyond the end of the runway, the engine appeared to regain power and the airplane began a climb. The airplane then banked sharply and impacted trees. Examination of the engine cylinders revealed heavy black combustion deposits, on the number 3 and number 6 cylinder chambers, exhibiting signatures of operation with a foreign material. Additionally, two pieces of aluminum material were found in the combustion chamber of the number 6 cylinder. The aluminum pieces were identified to be the same material as the air filter mount frame from the airframe induction system. The number 5 top compression ring was also broken and severely worn. According to the Continental Report, "The ingestion of foreign material in cylinder combustion chambers can affect proper valve operation/timing and produce a combustion miss, thereby diminishing the engine power output."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.