Cessna 210 5A(205A) N315EC

Summary

On 12 July 2015 at about 14:10 local time, a Cessna 210 5A(205A) registered N315EC, operated by Skydive East Coast, was involved in an accident near Stafford Twp, New Jersey, United States. 5 people were 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

12 July 2015 at 14:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Stafford Twp, New Jersey, United States

Nearest airport

Eagles Nest (31E)

Coordinates

39.6972, -74.2647

Aircraft

Cessna 210 5A(205A)

Registration

N315EC

Category

Airplane

Year built

1963

Engines

1

Operator

Skydive East Coast

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Skydiving

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

West Creek → West Creek

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA15LA263

1 person had minor injuries.

The total loss of engine power due to the failure of the crankshaft, which resulted from a mechanic's failure to properly torque the engine cylinder through bolts.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the accident flight was his second skydiving flight of the morning and that the airplane was performing "normally" as it had during the first flight. During climbout, he noted that the engine cylinder head temperatures were in the "normal" range. When the airplane reached about 4,000 ft mean sea level, the engine experienced a total loss of power, and, about 1 minute later, the propeller stopped windmilling. The pilot conducted an off-airport landing to a nearby highway. During the landing roll, and to avoid impacting vehicles on the highway, the pilot guided the airplane onto the median, and the wings and horizontal stabilizer impacted several road signs, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane. Disassembly and examination of the engine revealed that the crankshaft was fractured near the No. 2 main bearing. The No. 2 main bearing saddle mating surface exhibited extensive fretting, and the areas adjacent to the No. 2 bearing on the inside of the engine case exhibited rotational scoring, indicating that bearing movement had occurred before the crankshaft failure and that insufficient torque had been applied to the cylinder through bolts. Review of the maintenance logbooks revealed that, 19 days before the accident, a mechanic replaced the No. 2 cylinder. It is likely that the mechanic applied insufficient torque to the through bolts after replacing the No. 2 cylinder, which allowed the bearings to move and led to the eventual failure of the crankshaft.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.