Beechcraft A36 N69286

Summary

On 11 December 2016 at about 18:00 local time, a Beechcraft A36 registered N69286 was involved in an accident near Shoreham, New York, United States. 2 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

11 December 2016 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Shoreham, New York, United States

Coordinates

40.9569, -72.9086

Aircraft

Beechcraft A36

Registration

N69286

Category

Airplane

Year built

1984

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

New York → Westfield/Springfield

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA17LA069

Nobody was injured.

A fatigue crack of the crankshaft at the No. 4 main bearing journal.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While the private pilot was conducting a cross-country flight, the airplane's engine started running roughly when the airplane was about 5,500 ft. The pilot pushed the mixture, propeller, and throttle controls to the full forward position, but the engine continued to run roughly. The pilot then decided to return to the departure airport. During the turn back to the airport, oil covered the windscreen. The pilot declared an emergency and asked air traffic control for radar vectors to a closer airport. The pilot was having trouble controlling the airplane, so he asked for vectors to another airport. Seconds later, he saw parts, which he thought were from the propeller, separate from the airplane. The engine then lost total power, and the pilot ditched the airplane into the water below. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the crankshaft was fatigue fractured at the No. 4 main bearing journal. The origin surface area of the fatigue crack was obliterated due to relative movement between the mating fracture faces; thus, the investigation could not determine the cause of the fatigue crack.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.