American Champion (Acac) 7KCAB N7546T

Summary

On 22 August 2005 at about 15:35 local time, a American Champion (Acac) 7KCAB registered N7546T was involved in an accident near Richland, Washington, 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

22 August 2005 at 15:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Richland, Washington, United States

Coordinates

46.3672, -119.3064

Aircraft

American Champion (Acac) 7KCAB

Registration

N7546T

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Richland → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA05LA179

Nobody was injured.

The oil pressure gauge line fitting coming loose from the engine, resulting in the loss of oil to the point where internal engine components were starved for oil, leading to extensive internal damage and seizing of the engine. Factors include a set of eight inch high berms in the field where the pilot found it necessary to execute his forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot, who had just finished practicing a series of aerobatic maneuvers, was descending back toward the airport when the engine suddenly quit. He attempted to restart the engine, which momentarily fired, but it did not stay running. The propeller, which initially was windmilling after the power loss, eventually came to a stop, and the pilot was unable to get the engine to rotate by activating the starter. He therefore made a power-off forced landing in a nearby open field, and although the flare and touchdown were uneventful, during the landing roll, the aircraft encountered a pair of eight inch high berms and nosed over onto its back. A post accident inspection of the aircraft and engine determined that the fitting that attaches the oil pressure gauge line to the engine had come loose, and oil had escaped from the area around the fitting. Further inspection revealed that the loss of oil lead to extensive thermal and mechanical damage to the primary lower end engine components, and that the engine had seized as a result of that damage. A review of the aircraft records did not reveal any recent maintenance in which the oil pressure measuring system would have been expected to have been manipulated.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.