Beechcraft A36 N464TJ

Summary

On 16 April 2009 at about 02:45 local time, a Beechcraft A36 registered N464TJ, operated by John Elliot Rutter III, was involved in an accident near Lopez Island, Washington, United States. 4 people were 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

16 April 2009 at 02:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Lopez Island, Washington, United States

Coordinates

48.4333, -122.8833

Aircraft

Beechcraft A36

Registration

N464TJ

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

John Elliot Rutter III

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Everett → Friday Harbor

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR09LA197

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power during cruise flight due to oil starvation. The oil starvation event was due to the failure of maintenance personnel to tighten the aft mounting nuts for the newly installed propeller governor and the pilot’s failure to secure the oil filler cap during the preflight inspection.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that during cruise flight, the propeller rpm continued increasing despite his numerous attempts to reduce the propeller rpm. As the pilot reduced power, he heard a loud bang followed by a "significant trail of white smoke pouring over the wind screen" and a loss of engine power. The pilot initiated a forced landing to a nearby road that appeared to have no vehicle traffic. The pilot stated that he extended his approach to landing due to a vehicle turning onto the road. During the landing roll, the left wing struck a street sign and subsequently struck "two or three large wooden fence posts that were hidden in the bramble of blackberry bushes” that resulted in structural damage to the empennage and the left and right wings. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the oil filler cap was unsecured to the oil filler neck. Oil residue was observed along the left side of the airframe and engine cowling. Further examination of the engine revealed that the two aft nuts securing the propeller governor to the crankcase mounting pad were loose. Oil residue was observed within the surrounding area of the propeller governor. About 1 quart of oil was observed within the oil sump. Review of maintenance logbooks revealed that the engine was recently disassembled and inspected due to a propeller strike. Following the propeller strike inspection, the propeller governor was reinstalled. The pilot reported that the accident flight was the first flight following the propeller strike inspection and that he verified the oil level was adequate during his preflight inspection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.