Piper PA 32R-301 N35590

Summary

On 22 June 2015 at about 12:15 local time, a Piper PA 32R-301 registered N35590, operated by Harry Silsby MD P C, was involved in an accident near Boulder City, Nevada, United States. 4 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 June 2015 at 12:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Boulder City, Nevada, United States

Coordinates

35.9786, -114.8347

Aircraft

Piper PA 32R-301

Registration

N35590

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

1

Operator

Harry Silsby MD P C

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Las Vegas → El Paso

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR15LA196

Nobody was injured.

A total loss of engine power during cruise flight for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that, while in cruise flight during the personal flight, the engine started to "sputter" and lose power. During troubleshooting efforts, the engine lost total power. The pilot then attempted to restart the engine without success and subsequently initiated a forced landing on a nearby beach. A postaccident engine examination revealed that the engine crankshaft would not rotate manually. Disassembly of the engine revealed evidence of wear and heat damage to the Nos. 1 and 2 crankshaft bearing halves. The oil filter contained no contaminants or metallic particles. No further evidence of a preexisting mechanical malfunction was noted during the examination of the engine and airframe. Damage to main bearings can occur from multiple sources, including oil contamination, excessive loads, or disruption of the lubrication between the bearing face and the main journal. Given that the Nos. 1 and 2 bearings were the only damaged bearings throughout the engine, it is unlikely that oil contamination caused the damage. In addition, given that the Nos. 1 and 2 bearings are located in the forward area of the engine and experience lighter loads than those located in the aft area of the engine, it is unlikely that excessive loads caused the damage. Although a propeller strike could result in an abnormal loading and lubrication of the bearings, a review of the airframe and engine maintenance records revealed no evidence of a reported propeller strike. Absent one of the above issues, it is likely that a disruption of the lubrication between the bearing face and the main journal resulted in the wear of the Nos. 1 and 2 bearing halves. However, no evidence of oil passage blockage, leaks, or excessive clearance between the bearings and the crankshaft journals was observed; therefore, the reason for the likely lubrication disruption or whether it caused the loss of engine power could not be determined. In addition, the accident bearings had an aluminum-tin intermediate layer, which makes the bearings less robust than those with a copper-alloy intermediate layer; thus, the wear and heat damage could have been preceded by delamination of the aluminum-tin intermediate layer. However, postaccident examination could not determine whether this occurred.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.