Cirrus SR22 N242MB

Summary

On 22 October 2014 at about 10:25 local time, a Cirrus SR22 registered N242MB was involved in an incident near Lexington, North Carolina, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 October 2014 at 10:25

Classification

Incident

Location

Lexington, North Carolina, United States

Coordinates

35.8167, -80.2586

Aircraft

Cirrus SR22

Registration

N242MB

Category

Airplane

Year built

2004

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Monroe → Greensboro

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Dawn

NTSB number

ERA15IA024

Nobody was injured.

Maintenance personnel's improper tightening of the crankcase through bolt nuts during reassembly of the engine at the last overhaul, which resulted in the failure of the crankshaft and the subsequent total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight. The pilot reported that, while en route to his destination at a cruise altitude of about 5,000 ft mean sea level, the engine "failed." He flew the airplane toward an open field and deployed the ballistic recovery parachute. He subsequently conducted a successful landing in the field. An examination of the engine revealed that the crankshaft had fractured between the No. 2 main journal and the No. 2 connecting rod journal. An examination of the crankshaft revealed that the fracture was due to fatigue that had initiated from multiple origins at the fillet radius between the No. 2 main journal and the cheek at the aft end of the journal. The fatigue initiated from surface damage that occurred due to the No. 2 main bearing shifting. The bearing likely shifted due to the improper tightening of the crankcase through bolt nuts and subsequent insufficient clamping force of the crankcase saddle surfaces. A review of the airplane's maintenance records revealed that the engine was last overhauled 775 total flight hours before the accident, and no records were found indicating that the through bolts had been removed since that time. It is likely that maintenance personnel improperly tightened the crankcase through bolts during the overhaul.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.