Cessna 182 N3889D

Summary

On 10 June 2018 at about 16:34 local time, a Cessna 182 registered N3889D was involved in an accident near Arecibo, United States. 5 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 4 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 June 2018 at 16:34

Classification

Accident

Location

Arecibo, United States

Nearest airport

Antonio (Nery) Juarbe Pol Airp (ABO)

Coordinates

18.2217, -66.5908

Aircraft

Cessna 182

Registration

N3889D

Category

Airplane

Year built

1957

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Skydiving

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Arecibo → Arecibo

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA18LA165

1 person was seriously injured.

Maintenance personnel's failure to properly apply torque to the engine through bolts, which ultimately resulted in the crankshaft failure and the total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that shortly after takeoff on the skydiving flight, the airplane's engine made a "clicking" sound and lost power. The pilot subsequently performed a forced landing to a field, during which the airplane flipped over and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, right wing, and tail. Examination of the engine revealed the crankcase web mating surfaces at the Nos. 2, 3, and 4 bearing saddles exhibited pitting consistent with fretting, which was indicative of improper preloading (torque) of the through bolts. Additionally, the No. 2 main bearing was displaced from its saddle and severely worn, and the crankshaft fractured due to fatigue. A review of maintenance records revealed the engine's camshaft and lifters were replaced about 280 hours before the accident; this was the last documented time during which the applicable through bolts and associated nuts would have been assembled. Given this information, it is likely that maintenance personnel failed to properly apply torque to these through bolts during this maintenance, which ultimately resulted in the crankshaft failure and the subsequent loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.