Cessna 172M N80237

Summary

On 18 September 2004 at about 17:30 local time, a Cessna 172M registered N80237, operated by Kenneth T. Conlee, was involved in an accident near Houstonia, Missouri, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

18 September 2004 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Houstonia, Missouri, United States

Coordinates

38.8833, -93.3500

Aircraft

Cessna 172M

Registration

N80237

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Kenneth T. Conlee

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lee's Summit → Columbia

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI04LA283

2 people had minor injuries.

The fatigue failure of the piston end of the connecting rod and the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane sustained impact and fire damage when it cart-wheeled during a forced landing following a loss of engine power. The pilot reported that 30 minutes into the flight he heard a "clunk", the engine stopped running, and the propeller was not windmilling. He stated he attempted to restart the engine to no avail. The pilot was attempting an off airport landing in a bean field when the right wing contacted the ground, the airplane cart wheeled, and a post impact fire ensued. Inspection of the engine revealed the piston and piston pin on the number 4 cylinder were separated from the connecting rod. The metallurgical examination of the number 4 connecting rod noted the piston pin end of the rod was fractured and the fractured ends were deformed inward. The fractured surface revealed an area typical of a fatigue crack that started at the forging parting plane on the exterior surface. The fatigue origin areas contained ratchet marks indicating that fatigue cracking initiated at multiple sites and the crack extended through approximately 60% of the wall thickness. The engine, a Lycoming O-320-E2D, was overhauled on August 11, 2003, at an engine total time of 3,918.7 hours. The engine had accumulated approximately 70 hours since the overhaul. Maintenance records indicate the connecting rods were magnafluxed, rebushed, checked for alignment, and reinstalled in the engine during the overhaul. The connecting rods were the original engine rods.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.