Cessna 210N N5307A

Summary

On 20 December 2013 at about 04:51 local time, a Cessna 210N registered N5307A, operated by AirNet Systems, Inc., was involved in an accident near Tampa, Florida, 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

20 December 2013 at 04:51

Classification

Accident

Location

Tampa, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Tampa International Airport (TPA)

Coordinates

27.9947, -82.5422

Aircraft

Cessna 210N

Registration

N5307A

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

1

Operator

AirNet Systems, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Valdosta → Tampa

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA14LA076

1 person was seriously injured.

A total loss of engine power due to the fatigue failure of the No. 4 connecting rod. Contributing to the accident was a likely loss of lubrication for reasons that could not be determined during a postaccident engine examination.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

As the on-demand air cargo flight approached the destination airport, the pilot advised air traffic control that the airplane's engine had "lost oil pressure." Subsequently, an air traffic controller cleared the flight to land on an alternate runway. The airplane impacted a berm short of the runway threshold, which resulted in serious injury to the pilot and substantial damage to the airframe. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed that engine oil was present from the windscreen to the vertical stabilizer and that the engine case had been breached near the Nos. 4 and 6 cylinders. Detailed examination of the engine revealed signatures consistent with oil starvation and a fatigue failure of the No. 4 connecting rod and connecting rod cap. Although the metallurgical hardness of one of the No. 4 connecting rod bolts was slightly below its specified value, this likely did not contribute to its separation, and it likely failed in overstress after the fatigue-related separation of the mating connecting rod. The engine's oil sump was breached and only contained residual traces of engine oil; the preaccident quantity of oil within the engine could not be determined. Examination of the engine's oil galleys and passages revealed that they were intact, clear, and unrestricted. The root cause for the loss of lubrication and subsequent fatigue failure of the No. 4 connecting rod could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.