Beechcraft N35 N671VC

Summary

On 18 October 2012 at about 17:40 local time, a Beechcraft N35 registered N671VC, operated by Anderson Donald E, was involved in an accident near Phoenix, Arizona, 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.

Date

18 October 2012 at 17:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Phoenix, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Pleasant Valley (KP48)

Coordinates

33.8000, -112.2000

Aircraft

Beechcraft N35

Registration

N671VC

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Anderson Donald E

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Prescott → Phoenix

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR13LA015

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power due to oil starvation due to loose oil cooler attachment bolts. Contributing to the accident was inadequate maintenance during the annual inspection.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was over mountainous terrain when the pilot noticed the engine oil pressure was below 30 psi. He determined that the closest suitable airport was his destination airport, and continued to that airport. Shortly thereafter, the engine oil pressure dropped to zero, and the engine began to shake violently. The pilot shut down the engine, declared an emergency, and turned towards the nearest airport displayed on his GPS, but he did not have enough altitude to glide all the way to the airport. The pilot executed a forced landing in desert terrain. During the landing, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the nose and left wing. Postlanding photographs show oil and dirt streaks along the right side of the airplane originating from the vicinity of the engine cowling. A postaccident engine examination revealed that the lower bolts that secured the engine oil cooler were not tight and that the lower half of the oil cooler gasket was deformed, which allowed pressurized oil to exit the engine along the bottom of the oil cooler adaptor plate. Additional engine cooling baffling was also secured to the engine by the oil cooler bolts. Thermal and mechanical damage within the engine was consistent with oil starvation. The airplane had its annual inspection 6.4 hours prior to the accident. A normal part of the annual inspection would have been to remove the baffling around the engine oil cooler in order to fully access the engine; the baffling would be replaced after completion of the inspection. It is likely that the bottom bolts of the engine oil cooler where the baffling attached were not properly torqued during reinstallation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.