Cessna T210M N6149B

Summary

On 24 February 2011 at about 07:45 local time, a Cessna T210M registered N6149B, operated by Flight Express Inc., was involved in an accident near Independence, Missouri, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 February 2011 at 07:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Independence, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Charles B. Wheeler Downtown (MKC)

Coordinates

39.0944, -94.4353

Aircraft

Cessna T210M

Registration

N6149B

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Flight Express Inc.

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cahokia → Kansas City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CEN11FA202

1 person had minor injuries.

Latent dimensional discrepancies related to the engine crankcase main bearing saddle bores, which precipitated the fatigue failure of the crankshaft and a complete loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was the engine manufacturer's failure to properly identify and address the crankcase discrepancies when the engine was rebuilt.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was in cruise flight when the engine began to run rough and lose power. Smoke began to enter the cockpit, and engine oil covered the windshield. The engine ultimately lost all power. The pilot executed a forced landing to a roadway, and the left wing struck a bridge guardrail. Examination of the engine revealed a fatigue failure of the crankshaft initiating at the No. 6 connecting rod journal. Further examination determined that several crankcase main bearing saddles were oversized compared to the required specifications. As a result, the crankshaft was not adequately supported within the crankcase during operation, which precipitated the fatigue failure of the crankshaft. Records indicated that the engine was initially manufactured with one oversized saddle bore. The manufacturer subsequently rebuilt the engine, which was installed on the accident airplane. At the time of the accident, the engine had accumulated 1,303.5 hours since it was rebuilt.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.