North American SNJ-5 N212TC
19 September 2005 · Torrington, Wyoming, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 19 September 2005 at about 23:45 local time, a North American SNJ-5 registered N212TC, operated by Thomas E. Campau, was involved in an accident near Torrington, Wyoming, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 23:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Torrington, Wyoming, United States
- Nearest airport
- Torrington Municipal Airport (TOR)
- Coordinates
- 42.0742, -104.1547
- Aircraft
- North American SNJ-5
- Registration
- N212TC
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Thomas E. Campau
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Ogden → Scottsbluff
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DEN05LA143
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
failure of the #7 connecting rod, causing engine seizure. A contributing factor was the berm.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The airplane was eastbound and descending from a cruising altitude of 13,500 feet for landing. The pilot said that during descent, the "cylinder number 1 failed, followed immediately by the failure of cylinder number 2, and within about 4 seconds a total seizure of the engine." The pilot made a forced landing in an alfalfa field, subsequently impacting a berm and substantially damaging the airplane. The engine was later disassembled and examined. The engine had seized and could not be turned because connecting rods 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 9 were found broken, and numbers 5 and 6 were found severely damaged. Connecting rod 8 was not broken or damaged. Metal contamination was noted in the push rod housings, oil sump, thrust cover and bearing; cam, cam rollers, cam drive gear and inspection hole; main case, and oil screen. According to the FAA inspector, there were indications that the #7 connecting rod had struck the crankcase between #6 and #7 cylinders, breaking the through bolts.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other North American SNJ-5 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Jun 2004 | North American SNJ 5 | Oroville, Washington, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 22 Sep 2007 | North American SNJ-5 | Bloomington, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 2007 | North American SNJ-5 | Pueblo, Colorado, United States | Richard Wells | No injuries | - |
| 5 Sep 2008 | North American SNJ-5 | Leadville, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 May 2008 | North American SNJ-5 | Wolcott, Colorado, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 Aug 2001 | North American SNJ-5 | Raton, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Oct 2005 | Aviat A-1 | Kaycee, Wyoming, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 13 Sep 2005 | Bell 47G-3B-1 | Rock Springs, Wyoming, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Feb 2005 | Cessna P210N | Lander, Wyoming, United States | Brent G. Bills | No injuries | - |
| 9 Sep 2005 | Robinson R44 II | Jackson, Wyoming, United States | Upper Limit Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 18 Sep 2005 | Shea VANS RV6A | Glendo, Wyoming, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 26 Feb 2005 | Bourgeois-Avid Flyer MK IV | Kaycee, Wyoming, United States | James A. Smith | Fatal | 1 |