Cross David L GLASAIR III N71AJ

Summary

On 7 August 2012 at about 14:30 local time, a Cross David L GLASAIR III registered N71AJ was involved in an accident near Westcliffe, Colorado, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 August 2012 at 14:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Westcliffe, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Silver West (C08)

Coordinates

38.1298, -105.4607

Aircraft

Cross David L GLASAIR III

Registration

N71AJ

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Westcliffe → Westcliffe

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN12LA543

1 person was seriously injured.

The loss of oil pressure due to the failure of an oil filter gasket, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After leveling off at 12,000 feet mean sea level for a test flight, the pilot noticed that the oil temperature began to increase, and then the engine lost oil pressure. The engine then lost total power, and the pilot performed a forced landing in a field. An examination of the engine revealed that a gasket between the remote oil filter adapter and the "spin-on" filter mounting pad had failed, which resulted in a loss of oil. The owner reported that he had lubricated the gasket with a compound upon installation. It could not be determined whether the compound had degraded the gasket.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.