Cessna 172S N1130T

Summary

On 23 May 2006 at about 16:58 local time, a Cessna 172S registered N1130T, operated by Epic Aviation, was involved in an incident near St. Augustine, Florida, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 May 2006 at 16:58

Classification

Incident

Location

St. Augustine, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

St. Augustine (SGJ)

Coordinates

29.9592, -81.3397

Aircraft

Cessna 172S

Registration

N1130T

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Epic Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Ferry

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

St. Augustine → New Smyrna Bch

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA06IA110

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power due to separation of the crankshaft as a result of lack of adequate oil lubrication to the #2 main bearing. The lack of oil lubrication was most likely the result of improper assembly (fitting) of the bearing shells to the crankshaft.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane experienced a loss of engine power due to failure of the crankshaft and separation of the propeller and propeller flange during the initial climb shortly after takeoff. The pilot reversed course and landed on a taxiway at the departure airport without further incident. At the time of the event, the airplane and engine had accumulated a total time of 399.3 hours. Metallurgical examination determined that the crankshaft separation was the result of a lubrication failure at the #2 main bearing. The lubrication failure then allowed excessive friction to overheat the bearing journal on the crankshaft producing ladder cracks in the surface and at the oil transfer hole. These cracks in turn initiated torsional fatigue cracks that ultimately lead to the separation of the crankshaft. The root cause of the lubrication failure was likely the result of intermittent oil flow to the bearing or of improper assembly (fitting) of the bearing shells to the crankshaft. Considering that the other bearings did not show distress and the short time since engine assembly, it is more likely that an assembly issue was the cause. No preexisting metallurgical or mechanical discrepancies were found with the crankshaft.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.