Van's RV7-UNDESIGNAT N513BW

Summary

On 10 February 2015 at about 21:30 local time, a Van's RV7-UNDESIGNAT registered N513BW, operated by Brooks D Wolfe, was involved in an accident near Belfair, Washington, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 February 2015 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Belfair, Washington, United States

Coordinates

47.4250, -122.8747

Aircraft

Van's RV7-UNDESIGNAT

Registration

N513BW

Category

Airplane

Year built

2011

Engines

1

Operator

Brooks D Wolfe

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Gig Harbor → Bremerton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

WPR15LA101

1 person had minor injuries.

A total loss of engine power during cruise flight due to the fatigue failure of the engine crankshaft. Contributing to the accident was the unapproved repair and improper inspection of the engine crankshaft.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the airplane was at 1,500 ft mean sea level as he was returning to the departure airport when the engine "abruptly quit." When all attempts to restart the engine failed, the pilot chose to land on a gravelly split. During the landing roll, the airplane's small tires sunk into the gravel, which resulted in the airplane nosing over. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the crankshaft had fractured adjacent to the aft radius of the No. 3 rod journal. Examination of the crankshaft revealed that it failed due to fatigue cracking that had initiated at locations on either side of a preexisting longitudinal crack. The radius also contained several circumferential cracks, including ones in the region corresponding to the relative location of the fatigue origins of the fracture. Examination also revealed that the No. 3 rod journal had been chromium-plated to regain lost material; however, according to the engine manufacturer, chromium plating on bearing journals was not an approved repair. Although the fatigue did not initiate in the plating, it did start near the edge of the replating in an area likely reworked (ground) following the unapproved plating. The multiple circumferential cracks noted in the radius likely resulted from the repair grinding and may have contributed to the fatigue initiation. A review of the engine logbooks revealed that the engine had been overhauled and subsequently inspected by the "magnaflux method" three times in a 14-month period about 15 years before the accident, during which the extensive cracking would have been present, indicating that the magnaflux inspections of the crankshaft were not effectively performed.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.