Bellanca 17-30A N6648V

Summary

On 14 September 2014 at about 01:30 local time, a Bellanca 17-30A registered N6648V, operated by Bailey Jason L, was involved in an accident near Monroe, Georgia, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 September 2014 at 01:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Monroe, Georgia, United States

Coordinates

33.7833, -83.6900

Aircraft

Bellanca 17-30A

Registration

N6648V

Category

Airplane

Year built

1970

Engines

1

Operator

Bailey Jason L

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chattanooga → Greensboro

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA14LA436

2 people were seriously injured.

The improper installation of the oil filter adapter at an unknown time, which resulted in an oil leak and subsequent oil starvation to the engine.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the approach at night, the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power, and the pilot performed a forced landing into trees. Subsequent examination of the engine revealed that the oil filter adapter was loose and that it was installed incorrectly with two copper crush gaskets rather than with one copper crush gasket and one fiber gasket per the manufacturer's installation instructions. The fiber gasket would have held the required torque for the fitting; however, the copper crush gasket did not hold the required torque. Because the oil filter adapter was loose, oil leaked from the engine, which led to the failure of the Nos. 4 and 5 connecting rods due to a lack of oil lubrication. The oil filter adapter was not original equipment on the engine. Although it could be installed under a supplemental type certificate, a review of maintenance and aircraft records did not reveal any entry or record pertaining to the installation of the oil filter adapter. The airplane had been operated for about 70 hours since its most recent annual inspection, which was performed about 1 year before the accident. It could not be determined when the oil filter adapter was incorrectly installed. Although the pilot stated that he had fueled the airplane with 100 low-lead aviation gasoline, automobile gasoline was recovered from the fuel tanks. The higher-compression ratio engine was not designed or approved to operate on automobile gasoline, and engine examinations revealed that it had been operating at higher temperatures due to the use of automobile gasoline. If the engine had not failed due to oil starvation, it is likely that it would have soon begun to detonate due to the use of the improper fuel.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.