Beechcraft H35 N5443D

Summary

On 25 July 2010 at about 17:30 local time, a Beechcraft H35 registered N5443D, operated by Michael A. Lella, was involved in an accident near Green Lake, Wisconsin, United States. 2 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

25 July 2010 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Green Lake, Wisconsin, United States

Coordinates

43.7178, -89.0533

Aircraft

Beechcraft H35

Registration

N5443D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Michael A. Lella

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Prairie Du Chie → Oshkosh

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN10LA433

Nobody was injured.

A total loss of engine power during descent due to the overhaul facility’s inadequate maintenance.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, while on approach to the destination airport, the engine experienced a total loss of power. He selected an uphill-sloped soybean field to make a forced landing and retracted the landing gear. The airplane slid 260 feet before coming to a stop. The airplane sustained firewall damage during the landing sequence. The postaccident investigation revealed several anomalies with the engine that were not in accordance with engine manufacturer's recommended maintenance practices. The No. 2 bearing was dislodged/separated and remnants of it were most likely the metallic debris found in the oil sump and oil filter. The cylinder thru-bolts were found to be tight; however, 19 of the 36 cylinder deck stud nuts were loose. A crack was observed between the No. 4 main bearing saddle on the left half of the crankcase, which extended through the No. 5 main bearing saddle. The pilot reported that the airplane had undergone a top overhaul about 18 flight hours prior to the accident. At the conclusion of the examination, the exact cause of the engine failure could not be definitively identified.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.